


Four Months, Less Time with Loki

by MoonCat163



Series: Time with Loki [3]
Category: Loki - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky moves in, Don’t copy to another site, F/M, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Loki eventually meets the Ex, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-10-13 00:49:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20573720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonCat163/pseuds/MoonCat163
Summary: You’ve gone back to your regular duties in helping Pepper plan the holiday events. That leaves you with less time during the days with Loki. He is having to involve himself more with the Avengers, and they could be called out at any time; he is expected to go with them.On some days, you get in late, and unwind in the swing on the promenade. Loki joins you most times, and you use the quiet to sit and relax. It’s not quite like the solitude at the cabin, but it will do.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’d love to read your comments, if you’re inclined to leave one ❤️😊

“Okay, girl, spill it!”

You were busy unpacking after returning from the cabin with Loki. Your suitcase was on the bed and your clothes were scattered all over. 

Natasha plopped down across the bed, not minding its current contents. You glanced at her before turning your attention back to sorting clothes that needed to be washed. 

“Spill what?” You asked, deliberately being obtuse. 

Natasha sighed in disappointment. “You know that I have ways of making you talk.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m sure you do,” she grinned. “And I’m not leaving.”

When you shake your head, she got up and closed both the living room and bedroom doors before resuming her position. 

“Now, what about the pictures that those girls posted?”

“That was nothing, they were giggling all over him and he told them that I was his wife,” you shrugged. “They wouldn’t leave him alone.”

“And you sitting on his lap?” 

“That was his idea, just putting on a show for them.”

Natasha looked at you speculatively. She’d studied the picture and you both looked too comfortable with the closeness. Your hand was near his hair, and she knew that Loki didn’t like to be touched unless it was absolutely necessary. Yet here you were, sitting on his lap and touching his hair. 

“Alright,” she finally said. 

You knew that she wasn’t convinced. 

“Now, about the drooling?”

“Do you have to know every minute detail about that? It’s embarrassing enough that it even happened.”

“Gimme the deets.”

“It was the night of the storm, when the winds woke me. A piece of patio furniture had been knocked over and I thought it was a tornado. We were sitting on the couch when he pulled me next to him. I fell asleep, drooled on his shirt, and was promptly embarrassed.”

“Anything else?” She asked, her keen eyes watching intently. 

“Nope.”

By this time, you had cleared the clothes off the bed and taken the suitcase to the closet. Natasha made herself comfortable against the headboard, then patted the spot next to her. 

You really weren’t looking forward to any further interrogation from her, but knew that she wouldn’t give up. But you were determined not to tell her that Loki had kissed you. 

He had only done it that one time, so you were certain that your inexperience was off putting, and that maybe he _ had _ been disappointed. His behavior toward you hadn’t changed though, since he still had joined you on the hammock each evening. 

Natasha watched you until you joined her on the bed with a sigh. You would just have to do your best to avoid telling her everything, especially that you were already head over heels for the guy. 

“So, what all did you two do?”

You gave her a run down of the activities, starting with the fair and cotton candy. She listened quietly, only asking a few questions here and there. 

“So, no kissing or…?”

“No!” You told her. “Why would he be interested in _ me?” _

“Why _ wouldn’t _ he be?” 

You had no answer for that, and Jarvis saved you from sputtering any type of denial. 

“Captain Rogers has asked me to tell you both that dinner is ready, if you’re hungry.”

“Thank you, Jarvis,” you told the AI. “We’ll be right there.”

You climbed off the bed but Natasha remained where she was for a moment, and her gaze made you uneasy. She finally smiled at you, then rolled off the bed. 

“Let’s go eat.”

You didn’t like that smile of hers, not at all. She followed you to the dining table where the men were already seated so you took the two empty chairs. 

There was a new addition to the ‘family’, Bucky Barnes, who was Steve Rogers’ best friend. You nodded a greeting at him and he returned it with a hesitant smile. 

Bucky had arrived while you and Loki were on vacation. He’d been through a very rough time, and had agreed to taking an apartment at the tower, although he wasn’t quite used to having so many friendly people around him. 

You both had been introduced to him once the hubbub over the trick with Mjölnir had died down, and you knew instantly that he was very damaged. Loki had realized it too, and you felt his tension when the super soldier had stared at you for longer than necessary. 

You didn’t know his entire story yet, but you also weren’t going to pry. You would be able to learn just by listening and observing. Your innate empathic abilities would undoubtedly draw him toward you, as well. 

Natasha made a point to sit across from you and Loki so that she could observe the three of you. 

“So, what did you crazy kids do for three weeks?” Tony asked, while bowls of food were passed around. 

“Not a damn thing,” you replied. “But you will be glad to know that Loki has decided that driving isn’t for him, and your car is still in pristine condition.”

“Oh?” 

“Yeah, but he does get the chance to teach me to fly a spaceship if the opportunity presents itself.”

Thor cast a glance at his brother, who ignored it. Loki noticed that Bucky watched you rather intently, while Natasha studied Loki’s reaction to it. 

“Anything else happen?” Tony asked. 

“Yeah, he nearly launched me into outer space.” You nudged Loki with your elbow. 

“What?” Thor gave a half laugh as he looked between you two. 

“I told you that was impossible,” Loki responded, scoffing. 

“Near earth orbit, then,” you said with a grin. 

“Come on, spill it,” Tony said, waving his hand. 

So, you regaled them with the story of swimming in the creek, when Loki had thrown you at least twenty feet. You were fairly animated, Natasha noticed. It was obvious that you enjoyed your time away, and she suspected that Loki had, too. 

The rest of the dinner passed without any mention of the photos that Natasha had found. You were relieved at that, although you knew that she would use them to her advantage if needed. 

Later that evening, once the sun had set, you took a glass of wine out onto the promenade to listen to the sounds of the city. There was no hammock, but there was a swing that had been carefully anchored down. 

It was a bit too cool to be sitting out there in a tee shirt, shorts and bare feet, and you were contemplating going back inside when Loki quietly appeared beside you. He spread a blanket over your legs before joining you.

“Thanks,” you told him softly 

“You’re welcome,” he replied. 

You brought your knees up, smiling at him when he adjusted the blanket for you. For a few minutes, there was silence between you.

“Did you enjoy your time away from the tower?” You asked. 

“Yes,” he responded. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Of course. I almost always go to the same cabin. It’s so quiet up there, after the noise of the city. I have to get away sometimes.”

He agreed by nodding his head. Then you offered your wineglass to him, which he accepted.

After taking a sip, he gave it back. “This is very weak compared to what I’m used to.”

“Thor has said the same thing,” you commented. “He won’t let me try the mead he keeps hidden.”

“No?”

“No, he says that I’d likely sleep for three days.”

Loki considered this for a moment, then produced a small flask. You looked at it, then him. The challenge in his eyes was clear, so you held out your glass, only for him to put a couple drops into it. 

“Is it that strong?” You asked, swirling the wine then smelling it. 

“Decide for yourself,” he replied, with an enigmatic smile. 

That was a challenge that you probably should not accept, but you lifted the glass to your lips and took a small sip. Your eyes widened with shock and you began to cough as the spiked wine burned all the way down your throat. 

_ “Oh!” _

The side of Loki’s mouth turned up in a slight grin while you caught your breath. Then you surprised him when you took another sip. 

“That wasn’t so bad,” you said, after clearing your throat. 

“Was it not, little liar?” He couldn’t help but chuckle at such a blatant lie. 

“You should have given me this when I had that cold. It would have burned it right out.”

He reached out and gently ruffled your hair before letting his arm rest on the back of the swing. You were painfully aware of the warmth of his arm against the back of your shoulders. 

“Look,” Loki then said, pointing to the distance where lightning split the clouds. It was too far away to hear any thunder, but was fascinating to observe. 

You both watched the storm, with you taking the occasional sip of your drink. When you finished, you were ready for your bed. By this time, your head had started to spin. 

_ Oh, boy. Loki smells _ **so** _ good. _ That unwelcome voice said. 

Loki glanced over at you when you laughed to yourself. He then noticed that you were swaying just a bit when you stood. He quickly pulled the blanket away to prevent you from tripping, but your foot was on a corner and you stumbled before falling into him. 

“Whoops, I think that mead was a mistake,” you said, trying to right yourself. 

“Yes, I believe so,” Loki replied with a chuckle. “Come on, I’ll help you. “

“Jarvis, don’t let me sleep for three days, maybe just til Sunday morning.”

“Of course,” the AI responded. 

“Loki, save some of that for later. I’d like some more.”

Loki laughed again as he escorted you inside and to your room. You were a bit unsteady on you feet, and clung to his arm. 

“Goodnight, Loki,” you sighed, leaning against your door frame. 

“Goodnight, Tala,” he replied. 

He pulled the door closed, then listened while you shuffled toward the bedroom. 

— — —

“Gentlemen.”

They all turned at the sound of your voice when you came into the kitchen while they were eating breakfast. You were busy putting earrings in between pouring coffee into a travel mug. 

It was Monday, and you were almost ready to head out the door. When you got no reply, you turned toward the table. Natasha had her hand over her mouth, hiding a smile. 

The guys, except for Tony, were looking at you and appeared to be a little speechless. You quickly checked your clothes, making sure that the hem of your skirt wasn’t tucked into your underwear or something. 

Satisfied that you weren’t flashing them or anything, you walked closer to the table, then snagged a piece of toast off the plate. Still nothing. 

“Okay, what’s wrong? I know that I’m decently dressed,” you asked, rather stupefied at the silence. “Boss? Have I been fired and no one wants to tell me?”

“Of course not,” Tony chuckled. “They’ve just realized how nicely you clean up.”

You blushed and looked around the table again, then gave Natasha a helpless shrug. 

“Oh-kay, since no one’s speaking to me, have a good day.” You took your coffee and satchel, then went to the elevator, with the scent of your perfume following you.

Bucky watched you go and Loki drew a deep breath, unaware that Natasha was watching him. His grip on the fork in his hand tightened until it was bent in half; once he realized what he’d done, he replaced it quickly with seidr, with no one but Natasha the wiser. 

“You boys need to work on your game faces,” she commented, turning her attention back to her breakfast. 

— — —

You spent most of the day with Pepper, making notes on her ideas for the Christmas gala, and also pitching ideas to her. When she was interrupted by important phone calls or emergency meetings, you moved to the small desk in the corner to give her privacy and to work until she was free again. 

She’d already chosen the caterer, you realized with a grim frown. You’d hoped that she would consider someone else so that you didn’t have to deal with Evan, The Ex Boyfriend, but you were disappointed. You could only pray that Evan didn’t act like an ass around you, and sincerely prayed that he didn’t do it in front of Natasha or Loki. 

By the time you and Pepper had finished brainstorming for the day, it was nearly eight o’clock that night, and you were rather tired. The next day would include calls to decorators, musicians, florists and other such things, then more of the same as choices were whittled down and written in stone. 

When you were finally released for the day, you made your way to the elevator and up to the Avengers level, where your bed waited. No one was in the common area, which was a bit surprising, since you hadn’t heard whether they’d been sent on a mission.

You changed into a tee shirt and shorts, once again taking a glass of wine to the promenade where the swing waited, along with a folded blanket. You realized that Loki must have left it out the night before, but were grateful that he had forgotten it. After getting comfortable and fixing the blanket just so, you savor your drink while watching the night sky. 

There were too many city lights to see the stars, but you were content with the full moon that gleamed over the skyscrapers. It wasn’t terribly long until you could get back to the cabin for your next vacation. You just had to get through the holidays. 

“Tala?”

Loki’s voice caused you to jump slightly, since you had started to doze off.

“Hey,” you responded. “I didn’t know anyone was here.”

“Stark took us out to dinner, and we’ve just returned,” he replied, sitting beside you. “Are you hungry?”

“Not really, just unwinding before I go to bed.”

“Did you eat at all today?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll never be too busy to forget to eat,” you laughed softly.

“That’s good to know.” Loki again put his arm across the back of the swing. 

_ I hope Natasha hasn’t roped Jarvis into spying on you_. That voice commented softly. 

“I’m finished with this, do you want it?”

Loki accepted the remainder of your wine and drained the glass with one swallow. 

“You should get to bed or you’ll fall asleep out here,” he said, standing to take your hand. 

“Yeah, I am rather tired.”

You allowed him to pull you to your feet, then escort you to your room. 

“Goodnight.”

“Sleep well, Little Wolf.”

— — —

The remainder of the week was pretty much of the same, and by the weekend, you were ready for a couple of days off before having to get started again. You slept late on Saturday morning, and when you got up, the others were out and about, doing their own things. 

When you went into the kitchen, there was still hot coffee and a plate on the stove with breakfast, which was also still hot. There was also a single flower in a small vase, which disappeared when you touched it. _ Loki. _ You smiled softly at the gesture while moving to the breakfast bar to eat. 

After eating and washing the few dishes, you went back to your bedroom to shower and get dressed. You really wanted to crawl back into bed and watch tv or something, but resisted the urge. 

Once you had dressed, you went out to the promenade and to the swing. It was a clear day, and you browsed through your tablet, just enjoying the solitude. You had dozed off by the time the others came back, with Loki inevitably finding you in the swing. 

“Tala,” he said quietly, shaking you by the shoulder. 

You blinked sleepily, trying to focus and remember where you were. He sat down, watching carefully to make sure that you didn’t tumble to the hard floor. 

“Oh, hey,” you finally murmured. “I fell asleep.”

“Yes, that’s obvious,” he replied with a smile. 

“I must be more tired than I thought.” You rubbed your eyes. “I miss the hammock; I didn’t have to worry about falling out of it.”

“Why don’t you go lay back down?” He asked. “There’s nothing that you need to do today, is there?”

Your brow furrowed in thought. “No, not today.”

“Come, I’ll help you.”

Once Loki had escorted you to your room, you fell onto the bed, almost asleep before you got comfortable. 

“Loki?”

Your voice stopped him as he turned to the door. 

“Yes?”

“Thanks for breakfast.”

“You’re welcome.”

“And for the flower.”

“Of course.”

He waited to see if you would speak again, then cut the lights and closed the doors behind him. 

— — —

Shortly after noon, Natasha came to your room to check on you. You were just waking up when she knocked lightly on the bedroom door and peeked in. 

“You gonna sleep all day?” She asked, turning the lights up slightly. 

“Not sure,” you replied. “I guess it’s going to take some time to get back into my usual routine.”

“Lunch is ready.”

“Thanks, I’ll be out shortly.”

When you finally joined the others, you took the open seat beside Loki. Food was passed to you, then conversation picked back up. 

“Pepper’s not working you too hard, is she?” Tony asked. 

“Of course not,” you replied. 

“Good.” He nodded. 

While you ate, you listened to the conversation around you. It was mostly Avenger stuff, so you didn’t listen too closely, although they were unlikely to discuss anything that was classified in front of someone who didn’t have the proper clearances. 

“What kind of work do you do?” Bucky asked curiously. 

“I help Pepper plan events for Stark Industries. Fundraisers, galas, expos, dinners, stuff like that,” you replied, smiling at him. “Have you met her yet?”

“Briefly,” he replied. 

“She’s nice and as smart as a whip,” you said, looking over at Tony. 

“Sure is,” he agreed. “Puts up with my crap, too.”

That got a laugh from the table, while you and Natasha agreed with him. You weren’t paying attention, but Natasha was covertly watching you, Loki and Bucky. She could tell that Loki’s defenses were up and he was trying to create a buffer between you and the soldier. 

When the dessert was brought out, Loki leaned closer in order to put a piece of chocolate cake in front of you. You thanked him while continuing conversation with Bucky, oblivious to Loki’s reaction to him. 

Later, you were in your room, sorting clothes for washing and ones to be sent to the dry cleaners. Natasha came in after knocking briefly. She lounged on the bed while watching you. 

“What’s wrong?” You asked, while looking through the clothes in your closet. 

“Nothing, really,” she replied, getting up to take a look at a couple of dresses that had caught her eye. “These are pretty, when did you get them?”

“On one of Loki’s shopping trips. I was killing some time while he and Mr. Daniel were busy,” you replied. “Haven’t worn them yet.”

She took one of the dresses and held it up in front of her while looking in the floor length mirror. You watched for a moment before returning to your task.

“The color suits you, but it would swallow you whole, Tiny,” you commented. 

“Stop that,” she responded sharply. “There are different types of beauty, and you stop putting yourself down.”

“That’s what Loki said —“ you cut yourself off when she raised an eyebrow at you. 

“When did he say that?”

You shake your head and studied your clothing in silence. Natasha sighed before getting up to make sure both doors were securely closed. Then she returned to take you hand and pull you so that you joined her in sitting on the bed. 

“When did he say that?” She asked again. 

“When we were eating the ice cream. He’d told those teenagers that I was his wife, and when I came out of the store, I could tell from their expressions that they thought his wife should be prettier.”

“You told him that?”

“Yes.”

“Why ever would you—“ she started, then stopped. “Evan. You told him about Evan, didn’t you?”

You opened your mouth to deny it, but knew that she was almost as adept at reading lies as Loki was; plus the look on her face warned you against it. 

“I didn’t tell him very much,” you finally said. 

“You’d better hope those two don’t cross paths,” she said. 

“I know,” you replied, softly. “Now, what about Bucky? Is he going on missions with the team?”

“No, no, not anytime soon,” she replied. “He needs a lot of help right now.”

“What can you tell me?”

Natasha told you what she could about him without getting into classified information, and you were horrified. She was very adamant that you be careful around him, because he could be unpredictable. 

“Alright, I’ll be careful,” you told her. “Is he to be left alone when you’re all called out?”

“Jarvis will keep an eye on him, and Bucky has promised Steve that he will stay here if and when we have to go out.”

You nodded. “Well, I will be here most evenings, so I can keep him company, if it’s needed.”

Natasha started to say something but decided to hold off for now. She knew that Bucky wasn’t the only one who could be unpredictable.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

The next day, you were up to help with breakfast, joining Loki in the kitchen and assisting him with the prep and cooking. Steve skirted around the two of you to make coffee for Bucky and himself. 

You smiled at both soldiers, receiving two in return, then turned your attention back to your task. You and Loki worked in sync, and the food was ready fairly quickly. 

You started to carry plates to the table, but Bucky intercepted you, taking them from you. Loki handed you another set, which Steve took. Once all the food was on the table, everyone sat down. 

While eating, you and Steve kept Bucky included in the conversation, with you slowly becoming aware of Loki’s silent agitation. You’d asked him a couple of questions and received clipped answers to them, which bothered you. It wasn’t something that you could address with everyone present, so you brushed it off for the time being. 

— —

Loki silently ate while listening to you talk to the soldier, and viciously tried to tamp down feelings that he hadn’t dealt with in ages. Jealousy, pure and simple. If asked, he would always reply that he didn’t get jealous, he simply _ didn’t share. _

He made a habit of avoiding situations that led to that feeling, and now, here he was, getting jealous over a Midgardian. _ A Midgardian. _ Odin surely would be amused or disappointed, depending on his mood. 

As he observed, he knew that you had done the same thing with him by making sure that he was included, when he deigned to join everyone for meals, etc. It was part of your charm, but didn’t make it any easier to accept. 

Besides, after he’d kissed you that once in the pool, he hadn’t made any other type of move toward you, and you didn’t seem to expect it, which made him curious. You still were accepting of his seeking you out when you were sitting in the semi-dark on the promenade, though. 

He wondered if the reason that you didn’t expect more from him had anything to do with that ex-boyfriend that you’d told him very little about. Maybe your self confidence was more wounded than he thought. 

Loki schooled his features to mask his inner turmoil when you turned to him to ask if he wanted any more tea. He hadn’t heard you the first time, and you’d gently shaken his arm to get his attention. He accepted the tea, becoming lost in thought while he ate. 

By this time, Thor had taken notice of Loki’s demeanor and he grew concerned about what could be causing his disquiet. He would have to find out before Loki exploded with pent up anger or emotions. 

— — —

That evening, you got everything ready for Monday morning, then went out onto the promenade as usual. This week would include going to the caterer’s for tasting food and cakes for the Christmas menu. 

You weren’t looking forward to it, but Pepper would be with you, so it was unlikely that Evan would be obnoxious toward you in front of her. If he was smart, he wouldn’t risk losing his father's good name and the Starks’ recommendations. 

When Loki finally joined you on the swing, you were almost finished with your drink and were ready to start back in. You pulled the blanket closer to you to allow him room to sit. 

“Is something wrong?” You asked. “You were quiet at breakfast this morning.”

“Nothing is wrong,” he replied. “It seems that I’ve become accustomed to having most of your attention.”

“Oh.” You weren’t sure how to respond to that. 

“Are you done?” He asked. 

“Yes. I was about to go in.”

Loki finished off the remainder of wine before rising to draw you to your feet. He escorted you to your room as normal, then went to his own room. 

— — — — 

The next day, you got home rather late and went straight to your room to throw yourself face down across your bed. 

“Tala?” 

You didn’t stir at Loki’s voice and soft knock at your bedroom door. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked. 

“My feet hurt,” you muttered without moving. “I knew better than to wear these shoes.”

“Then why did you?”

“Because they’re cute as hell.”

“I’m not sure what that has to do with anything,” he replied slowly as you turned over, which allowed your skirt to hike up just a little. 

“I paid too much...never mind,” you sighed while looking at the ceiling. “Hey, could you disappear them to some remote planet where the natives will poke them with a stick and then set fire to them?”

“If you want,” he responded, walking closer. 

“Really??” You asked, propping up on your elbows to look at him. 

“Yes,” he said, while carefully pulling the shoes off for you. 

You hissed slightly in pain when you realized that they had caused blisters. 

“Would you?” 

He chuckled softly before the shoes disappeared from his hands. You laid back with a sigh while he examined your feet. 

“Why didn’t you come and change if you were getting blisters?” He asked. 

“Pure stubbornness,” was the reply. 

“I see.”

You jumped slightly when his hands emitted a cooling sensation, then a warming one. The blisters immediately stopped stinging and you no longer hurt. 

“Thank you!” 

“You’re welcome. I trust that you don’t have any others that will blister your feet?”

“Maybe one other pair,” you replied. 

“Would you like for me to banish them also?”

“Not right now, I don’t feel like getting up,” you replied. “Not even for our customary time in the swing.”

“Another time,” he told you. “Rest.”

“Goodnight.”

“Sleep well, Little Wolf.”

— — —

By Tuesday, you and Pepper were making headway on the holiday event. Some plans were written in stone, with contracts going out, while some still needed refinement. 

You had found out earlier that Pepper wouldn’t be able to attend the tasting at the caterer’s next day. You weren’t looking forward to going by yourself, but you would have to get through it somehow without having a nervous breakdown. 

You were pleased that she trusted you with this big decision, but you really didn’t want to deal with Evan. Then there was the thing going on with Loki. He seemed better than he had at breakfast the other day, but he obviously didn’t care to share attention with Bucky. 

You simply couldn’t worry about that now. You had a job to do and it needed your focus. 

That night after dinner, Loki joined you on the swing as usual, with you offering the remainder of your wine, which he accepted. 

“It’s my turn to ask if something’s wrong,” he murmured quietly. 

“Not really; Pepper can’t attend a couple of meetings tomorrow, so I’ve got them by myself. I can do the job, but it’s still nerve wracking if I make the wrong decision.”

“I’m sure that she has confidence in you, otherwise she wouldn’t entrust you with the decision making,” he commented. 

You twisted your fingers nervously, fighting the urge to bite at your nails. It was a habit that you’d almost completely broken but it still flared up occasionally. 

“Everything will be fine,” he assured you. 

“Thanks,” you smiled at him. “I should go to bed now.”

Loki stood while you folded the blanket, then followed you in. His mood quickly turned sour to see Bucky in the kitchen, standing there like a lost puppy. 

He was staring at the coffee maker, cup in hand. The appliance was new, and had replaced the regular brewer to see if it helped to keep full pots of coffee from going to waste. 

“Sergeant? Is something wrong?” You asked. 

“Bucky,” he corrected you. “I...I’m not sure how to work this one.”

“Here, let me show you.”

You walked him through turning it on, explained how to check the water level, then how to insert the pod and brew his coffee. 

“This will make one cup at a time, but there’s a different coffee maker under the cabinet that will make a big pot.”

Loki watched silently, but his impatience grew while you showed Bucky where the sugar and creamer was kept, and also showed him the other pods with different flavors. 

“Tala, don't you have work tomorrow?” He finally asked. 

“Yes, I’m just showing Bucky how to make his coffee,” you replied. “It won’t take but a few more minutes.”

You watched while Bucky worked the machine successfully, then he took a sip from the cup. 

“This is good,” he said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” you replied with a smile. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Once you reached Loki, he took you by the arm rather roughly in order to _ propel _ you to your room. His grip was strong, causing you to reach over in order to try to pry his fingers loose. 

“Loki!” 

You were bewildered and unsure what could have happened to cause this behavior. Once he had reached your rooms, he closed the door firmly, then turned you to face him. 

An arm went around your waist to pull you against him, then the other hand went to the back of your head before his lips took yours in a hard kiss. 

You were too shocked to react right away, but then you started pushing against his chest, trying to get your arms between you. You knew that you would be bruised: his grip was that strong. 

When Loki finally broke the kiss off, he knew instantly that he’d made a grievous mistake. You trembled in his arms, and fought to get away from him. 

But it was the tears that shook him to his core. 

“I...I was never afraid of you...until now,” you whispered while tears streamed down your cheeks. “I always knew that you _ could _ hurt me without even trying, but I never thought that you _ would. _ Let me go.”

He kept his hand on your waist while letting you step back. When he reached up to wipe at your tears, you pushed his hand away. 

“Please go.”

“Tala—“

“No. I want you to go.” A soft sob accentuated your words. 

You shut the door behind him, then gently engaged the lock; he heard it from outside the door where he stood to listen. You retreated to your bedroom on shaky knees before rushing to the bathroom to vomit. 

Afterwards, you sat on the side of your bed, hands pressed between your knees, which were still shaking. You ran your tongue over the insides of your lips and tasted blood. 

_ You hated the taste of blood. _

— — —

Loki stared at your closed door, horrified at what he’d just done. He simply was unable to stop himself once he caught sight of Bucky in the kitchen, looking at a coffee machine in bewilderment. 

_ A _ **coffee machine** _ of all things! _

Then he recalled that _ he _ hadn’t known how to use the kettle to make himself a cup of tea, until you had shown him. 

_ You _ ** _ASS_**_! _ He told himself. _ Now you’re no better than that Evan who’s already hurt her! _

“Brother?” 

Thor’s voice surprised him and Loki took a moment to get control of his emotions and his expression. He turned toward his brother. 

“Is something wrong?” Thor asked, his blue eyes watching Loki carefully. 

“No, Brother,” Loki replied. 

“Has Tala gone to bed?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Can we talk?” Thor motioned down the hallway to his own room. 

“Of course.”

Loki followed him, already thinking up excuses for what he had just done, then was relieved when Thor only asked about what had happened at breakfast on Sunday morning. Loki deflected Thor’s questions by explaining that he had recognized that Bucky was dangerous, and had only wanted to create a safety buffer between the two of you. 

Thor was taken aback at that response, which was unexpected, coming from Loki and it made him slightly suspicious. 

“You do recall that you yourself were considered dangerous when you arrived here, do you not?” Thor asked. “If Tala weren’t so busy helping Ms. Potts, she would likely be assisting the Sergeant to settle in. You know that, right?”

“Yes, Thor, I’m well aware of that.”

“Have you come to rely too heavily on her?”

Loki stared at Thor for several minutes. “No, Brother. I have come to like her and don’t want any harm to come to her. I enjoy her company.”

“The Sergeant is Captain Rogers’ best friend and has been through more than you know. If you cannot find common ground with him, will you at least not antagonize him?”

“As you wish, Brother.”

— — —

The next morning, you were up earlier than normal in hopes that you could get dressed and slip out without running into Loki. You hadn’t slept well, and the scant makeup you wore barely covered the dark circles under your eyes. Also, the arm that Loki had grabbed was sore. 

You quietly made your way up the hall, your shoes in one hand and your satchel in the other. There weren’t any sounds that indicated there was someone in the common area, so you moved toward the elevator. 

“Your feet will get dirty.”

You jumped at the sound of Tony’s voice, managing to stifle a scream as you dropped everything you were carrying. You quickly picked them up while trying to catch your breath. How could you have forgotten that the man was an insomniac?

“I was trying not to wake anyone,” you replied shakily. 

“Are you heading to work this early?” He asked. “I’m pretty sure that there’s not a meeting before ten o’clock, and Pepper will be out of the office most of the day.”

“I know. I left some notes on my desk, and wanted to review them before I got started. For some reason, I’m more anxious this year.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is? Do you need to talk?”

_ Why is he so perceptive? _

“No, Boss, everything is fine. Honestly.”

“Alright then. Off you go.”

— — —

That afternoon, after the meetings were done, you sat alone in Pepper’s office. Evan had been an utter ass toward you, since you were alone at the tasting. You wondered what you had ever seen in him and why you allowed him to treat you so badly. He had a habit of undermining your confidence by making you feel that he was the best that you could ever hope for. 

By the time you finished for the day, you were ready to collapse from the anxiety. Now you sat alone, trying to work up enough nerve to get on the elevator and possibly face Loki. 

You finally forced yourself onto the elevator, then hesitated in pressing the button that would take you up to the Avengers’ level. 

“Jarvis, would you mind taking me up, with no stops?”

“Certainly,” was the reply. 

You took a deep breath as the elevator rose smoothly and then stopped. You stepped off holding your satchel and several pastry boxes, and found that everyone was still at the dinner table. 

_ Great, just great. _

“Hi, all,” you said, pausing when Steve moved quickly to take the boxes from you. “I’ve brought treats. Stay seated, I’ll bring them over.” 

You set your satchel aside in order to open the boxes and put the large slices of cakes onto the counter. Before starting to pass them out, you took off the lightweight cardigan you wore and tossed it over your satchel. 

“Let’s see...Loki, I think you’ll like this one. It’s chocolate with chocolate ganache, topped with strawberries,” you said, putting the plate in front of him. 

As you moved around the table, you were unaware that Tony’s keen eyes followed you. 

“What happened to your arm?” He asked. 

“What?” 

“Your arm, it’s bruised. What happened?”

Now everyone’s attention was on you and you really felt as if you were going to faint or vomit, maybe both. 

_ Oh, dear God, how had you missed a bruise that was unmistakably a handprint? _

“I don’t remember. I’m always running into something and getting bruised.”

“Not buying it. _ Who _ did you run into?”

“It’s nothing,” you replied. “I’m tired and am going to bed. Please divvy up the rest of the desserts. Goodnight.”

After you'd left with a bottle of wine and a glass, Tony drummed his fingers on the table top. His eyes went around the table, but he didn’t speak. 

“Jarvis, who were the meetings with today?” He finally asked. 

After Jarvis had named them off, Tony glanced at Natasha, who took the silent cue and left the table. After a couple of minutes, she came back. 

“She’s locked the door and won’t answer.”

“Jarvis?”

“She’s in the bath, sir,” the AI replied after a moment. “And is listening to music through headphones. Shall I unlock the door?”

“No, no, let her be,” Tony replied. 

“As you wish, sir.” 

— — —

After you’d barricaded yourself in your room, you’d checked your skin carefully. Besides the bruise on your arm, Loki had left one across your back where his arm had been. You suspected that you might have one on the back of your neck as well.

You decided to take a long soak and gathered a gown and towels while starting the water. 

There were enough bubbles in the bath water cover you to your neck; the water began to relax your tense muscles, and to irritate the new blisters on your feet. In revenge, you’d thrown the offending shoes in the garbage. 

When the cat came into the bathroom and made itself comfortable on your towel, you didn’t notice right away. You had your head back, eyes closed while you listened to your music.

“I don’t recall inviting you in.”

You finally noticed the cat when you sat up to refill your glass. It blinked at you but otherwise didn’t move. You ignored it until you had finished the wine and were ready to get out of the tub. 

“I’m getting out now. Want to see your handiwork?”

It got up slowly and padded into the bedroom, causing you to sigh. After a couple of minutes, you went into the bedroom after drying off and putting on your gown. The cat was on the bed, paws tucked under it. 

Once you got settled in bed, it moved to lay against your side. Its warmth and the purring eased the thoughts racing through your mind, and you absently reached down to stroke its head. You wondered how long Loki could hold a form that he’d shifted into as you drifted off to sleep. 

— — —

You managed to avoid Loki entirely the next day while you and Pepper visited several decorators that had come up with themes for the event. She noticed that you didn’t seem yourself and asked if anything was wrong. 

You assured her that everything was alright, you were just a bit tired and hadn’t been sleeping well. When you both returned to her office, you remained behind when she left for the day. You wanted to complete a few tasks before heading for your own bed. 

When you didn’t return to the Avengers’ level by midnight, Natasha became worried, since Tony had taken Pepper home hours earlier. With Jarvis’s help, she found you sleeping on the sofa in Pepper’s office. 

She sat down on the coffee table near the sofa and watched you for a moment before shaking you gently. 

“Hey.”

It took her several minutes to rouse you enough for you to sit up sleepily. 

“Why are you sleeping here?” She asked, as you rubbed your eyes. 

“I only meant to lie down for a couple of minutes,” you muttered sleepily. “What time is it?”

“After midnight.”

“Oh.” 

Natasha studied you for a few _ long _ minutes. “Something’s happened in the last few days. I’d like for you to tell me.”

“Nothing has happened,” you replied. “I’m just tired.”

“I don’t buy that at all,” she said, her gaze moving over your face. “How did the meeting with Evan go yesterday?”

“As expected,” you responded, wincing while trying to put your shoes on. “I’ll go barefoot.”

“Come on,” Natasha got up and picked up your satchel, leaving you to carry just your shoes.

“This is the third pair that I'm throwing away. I never remembered having so much trouble with my shoes giving me blisters.”

— — —

When the elevator opened, Natasha led you to your rooms, where you laid gratefully across your bed. You were asleep almost immediately. 

“Jarvis, please tell Pepper that Tala will be working from home tomorrow, if she feels up to it.”

“Of course.”

The next day, Tony was there early and Natasha told him about finding you asleep in Pepper’s office. He agreed with her that something had happened, but it had happened before your meeting with Evan.

When you slept through breakfast and declined lunch, Tony concluded that either Loki or Bucky was to blame, and he was leaning toward Loki as being the culprit. 

They were still eating lunch when you came into the kitchen to get an apple and bottled water. You didn’t speak to anyone before heading back toward your apartment. 

“Whatever you did, you go undo it.” Tony directed this at Loki. 

Instead of denying that he’d done anything, Loki got up without a word and left the table. Thor started to get up to follow but Tony stopped him. 

“It’s his problem, let him handle it,” Tony told him. 

— — —

By the time Loki had left the table, you were in the tub again, soaking and listening to music. You had locked your door, so he used a clone to unlock it. 

When you were ready to get out of the bath, you nearly screamed in fright to find Loki sitting cross legged by the tub, his eyes level with yours. He’d startled you so badly that water and bubbles splashed everywhere, even on him. 

“I know I didn’t invite you in, and you can’t just come in here….” Your cheeks turned red with embarrassment. 

“We should talk,” he responded quietly. 

“_We _ don’t need to discuss anything...”

“Very well, ** _I_ ** should talk,” he amended. 

You had no choice but to stay in the tub, and you hoped that the bubbles would last until he said what he needed to say. 

“How badly are you bruised?” He asked. 

“It’s nothing,” you replied uneasily. “My feet hurt worse than that.”

“I’d like for you to get out of the bath so that I can see for myself.”

“It’s not necessary.” You turned even redder. 

Loki sat in silence for a couple of minutes. “I should not have hurt you that way the other night. I’m truly sorry, and hope that you can forgive me.”

“I-I trusted you not to hurt me,” you told him. 

“I know,” he said, his voice soft. “I’d like the opportunity to earn it back.”

You looked away from him for a couple of minutes, then nodded. 

“Alright. I forgive you, and we can work through the trust thing.”

“Thank you.”

“_Why _ did you do it?” 

“I told you that I’d become accustomed to having most of your attention—“

“I remember,” you replied hesitantly. 

“I suppose I was a bit jealous,” he finally admitted. 

“Oh.” You weren’t sure what to say about that. “Would it help if I told you that you’ll always be my favorite?”

“Even when I’m an ass?”

“Even if you’re a _ royal _ ass.”

Loki smiled then, mostly in relief. “May I kiss you properly now?”

“I- I’d like to get dressed first,” you replied, blushing again. 

“Of course, I’ll wait in the other room.”

When you joined him, he took your hands gently. You tentatively leaned toward him, allowing him to kiss you. Once again, his kiss was soft and coaxing, and your arms went around him to pull him closer. 

“Now, where are you bruised?” He asked. 

You showed him and he carefully examined your arm and back. 

“I think I may have one on the back of my neck, too.”

Loki moved your hair and frowned when he found out that you were right. 

“It’s okay,” you told him, when he was quiet for a couple of minutes. 

“Thank you, Little Wolf, but it’s not,” he responded. “I _ am _ sorry. I will heal them, alright?”


	3. Chapter 3

When Loki didn’t return to the common area after a couple of hours, Natasha went to check on you both. She hoped that whatever had happened was resolved, because you really were looking the worse for wear. If she’d known that you were meeting Evan alone, she would have gone with you.

When she reached the door to your rooms, she listened for a moment before entering. It was too quiet, and she hoped that she wouldn’t stumble over a body or anything. She didn’t know what to expect, so it was surprising to find you and Loki stretched out on the bed, sound asleep. 

You had your head on his shoulder and knee slightly bent over his. Your arm crossed his chest, while he held your wrist. His other arm circled your shoulders. She stared at the sight for several minutes before quietly retreating from the room, dimming the lights as she did so. 

“Well?” Tony asked. 

“They’re sleeping.”

“What?” Thor said, surprised. 

“Yes. Sleeping. In her room and on her bed,” she replied. “Just sleeping.”

Thor was a bit flabbergasted, while Tony didn’t seem quite as surprised as Thor. Natasha wasn’t surprised either, she felt that she’d seen that coming. After that initial week alone with you, Loki had slowly become less defensive, less snarky, and was more often in your company than not. 

— — —

Loki opened his eyes after Natasha had left the bedroom. He’d been sleeping lightly and had sensed her presence, then had seen the lights go off as she left. He didn’t move other than reaching up to gently caress your head and to periodically run his fingers through your hair. 

At the movement, you stirred and snuggled closer to him. His arms tightened just enough to reassure you that he was still there and he smiled at your contented sigh. 

Loki stared at the ceiling, trying to reason out exactly how you’d managed to worm yourself into his heart. It might have been that night all those months ago when you fell down some stairs and had broken several ribs. 

You’d been stubborn that night and wouldn’t allow him to help you until you were in extreme pain and unable to move from your bed. You were a bit distrustful but had let him heal the injury and ease the pain. 

He found that he’d liked your stubbornness and smiled at the memory. Then you had left him enough hot water to have two cups of tea. He could have kissed you that day, but was quite sure that he probably would have gotten slapped. 

But then after four days of eating nothing but fruit and distasteful Poptarts, you offered him steak and the sides that you’d cooked. He was so hungry by then and at the point where he would have sworn loyalty to you for eternity for something as simple as a sandwich. 

After that, you started leaving food for him in the special green containers that no one else would touch. It was a little joke between the two of you, and he enjoyed the looks on everyone’s faces when he would take one out of the fridge and eat the contents. 

Loki decided that figuring out the exact moment he’d fallen for you was irrelevant; he took a deep breath then drifted off again. 

— — —

(Saturday) 

Very early the next morning you awoke with Loki still sleeping beside you. He had managed to kick off his shoes earlier without disturbing you and it looked as if neither of you had moved during the night. 

You carefully turned to your back and he immediately rolled toward you, trapping you under an arm and a leg. You then felt a soft kiss against your temple as he drew you closer. 

A couple hours later you stirred again, only to find Loki studying you, his emerald eyes intense. He received a sleepy smile before you rubbed your eyes. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he replied. “I intended to go back to my own bed after you fell asleep.”

“Oh,” you responded, before running your hand along his forearm. “I don’t mind. This is almost like the hammock.”

“Almost,” he said. “Except now we will have a roomful of people waiting for us to get up so that they can see for themselves.”

You blushed slightly at that. “It doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you.”

“It doesn’t,” he replied softly. 

“Alright then. Let me get dressed so that we can get some breakfast.”

He stole a quick kiss before moving to let you up. 

About thirty minutes later, you both entered the kitchen to find that everyone was still at the breakfast table. You sat down without looking at anyone while Loki did the same. The silence was almost to the uncomfortable level before someone spoke. 

“Would you care for toast?” Bucky asked. 

“Yes, thank you, Sar- I mean Bucky,” you replied. 

He passed the plate with a slight smile, his soft blue-grey eyes twinkling. After taking some for yourself, you passed it to Loki. Once Bucky had broken the silence, everyone relaxed and started passing food around. 

You got up from the table long enough to get tea for you and Loki. 

“So, did you two make up or whatever?” Tony finally asked. 

“Yes, everything is fine,” you replied, still not looking at anyone, especially Thor or Natasha. 

“Care to share what happened?” Was Tony’s next question. 

“No, please, everything is fine.”

You knew that Jarvis probably could tell him what had happened, and you sincerely hoped that Tony wouldn’t ask the AI.

“Very well.” Tony gave Loki a meaningful glance. 

Natasha watched you surreptitiously, hoping that everything had been resolved between you and Loki. She hated to see you so stressed since it reminded her of how you’d been when you were still seeing Evan. 

She knew that Evan was mentally and verbally abusive toward you, to a certain degree, but you would never let anyone interfere or help you get away from him. You had to do that on your own. 

After breakfast, she followed you back to your apartment and closed the door behind her. You grew uneasy at the determination on her face. 

“I’m not going to tell you, so just don’t. And please don’t ask Jarvis, either,” you told her before she could say anything. “Loki just got a little upset and forgot to curb his strength.”

“I know that’s not the whole story but I’ll accept it for now,” she replied. “However, if it reaches the same level as with that other jerk, you’d better tell me. And I mean it.”

“We’ll see,” you responded. 

“You’re stubborn, you know that?” 

“Yes, you’ve said it before.”

“I would have made him work for it,” she then said, taking your hand and pulling you down onto the sofa with her.

“I guess I trust too quickly and forgive too easily,” you replied while squeezing her hand. 

“That’s part of your charm, you know. Even Bucky is responding to you, rather quickly, I might add.”

You didn’t say anything while you pondered that. You hadn’t really noticed Bucky’s behavior, but when he was in the kitchen that night and couldn’t figure out how to make a cup of coffee, you had wanted to cry. And apparently Loki had noticed it right away. 

“Listen.” Natasha’s voice grew serious. “We will be leaving for a mission tomorrow morning. I’m not sure how long it will take but it shouldn’t be more than a couple of weeks.”

“Does Loki know yet?”

“Not yet. Steve is getting the intel, and we’ll have a briefing in a little while. Will you be okay with Bucky while we’re gone?”

“Sure.” _ You _ would be alright with it, but you weren’t sure if _ Loki _ would be alright with it. 

“As always, Jarvis will keep us apprised if anything should come up. He may have nightmares, so you are _ not _ to approach him until you’re sure he’s fully awake. He’s as strong as Steve, and just as fast. Don’t take any chances.”

“I understand.”

“There will be a doctor on call twenty four/seven if you need help, and we expect you to get help if there’s something that you can’t handle.”

“Of course.”

You both were silent for several minutes until Natasha spoke again. 

“You two looked cute all curled up on your bed.”

“You spied on us?”

“I came in to make sure that no one was dead or injured, then cut the lights and closed the door.

“Oh. Thanks, then.”

“You’re welcome.”

— — —

That evening, you went out to the swing as usual, leaving Loki to prepare for the next day’s departure. He didn’t really carry a gear bag, since he was able to store things he’d need in a magical pocket, of sorts, and these items were always available to him. 

It didn’t take long for him to join you, and he pulled you close to him after he’d sat down. You leaned into him contentedly while he played with your hair. 

“If I’m not awake before you leave in the morning, please wake me,” you told him. 

“That’s not necessary, you need your rest,” he replied. 

You started to protest, but he kissed you and you forgot what you were about to say. 

“That’s hardly fair,” you said, raising an eyebrow at him. 

“Yet it worked,” he chuckled. 

“I guess it did,” you sighed. “Hey, could I have some more mead?”

Loki considered the request for a moment before producing the flask and adding a couple drops to your wine. 

“I don’t imagine that you’d leave that with me?” You asked, eyes glinting. 

“I don’t trust that you would go sparingly with it,” he responded with a slight grin. 

“Good call.” The sip you’d just taken had caused you to cough as it made its way down your throat. 

“Will you be alright here alone?” He asked. 

“Yes,” you replied, wanting to reassure him. “You know that I won’t be here during the day, but I will check in with Bucky at lunch. He will likely spend most of the time resting or in the workout room. I’ll make sure that he has something to eat or teach him how to cook something quick if needed.”

You could tell that Loki was still apprehensive about leaving you alone during the mission. He’d learned a bit more about the soldier and felt that it was unwise to leave him unsupervised, especially with you as his only companion. 

“Everything will be alright.” You took his hand and squeezed it. “Jarvis will keep tabs on us both, and there are agents here if they are needed. They won’t be needed, okay?”

He nodded but wasn’t convinced. 

“Don’t forget that Jarvis can put a call through from you anytime you want, if it’s safe to do so,” you reminded him. “I probably won’t try to call, since I don’t want to take the chance of interrupting you at a critical moment.”

“Come here.” Loki reached over and scooped you up so that he could arrange you on his lap. He finished the wine after you’d offered the remainder to him, then he set the glass aside. “I’m going to ask for a hammock to be put out here.”

You laughed softly before kissing his cheek. Then you carefully brushed back several strands of hair, with your fingers lingering momentarily. After a few minutes, your head dropped to his shoulder as the mead’s effects caught up to you. 

Loki sat there a while longer, just holding you and enjoying the closeness. Then he carried you to your bed and left after pulling the covers over you. 

— — — Sunday 

When your alarm woke you the next morning, you sat up slowly, finding that the small amount of mead that Loki had given you had knocked you out shortly after you’d drank it. 

You didn’t recall getting to bed, but vaguely remembered him waking you just before they left the tower. He’d kissed you while you held onto him, then he’d pushed you back against your pillow after peeling your arms from around his neck. 

“We’ll be back soon, Little Wolf,” he whispered, before leaving the room and locking the door behind him. 

You were still a little unsteady when you made your way to the bathroom to shower and get dressed. When you got to the kitchen, you noticed that it didn’t appear as if they’d even eaten breakfast before leaving. 

You figured that Bucky was still sleeping, so you quietly moved around to start water for tea before slicing a cantaloupe. Then you took out eggs, ham and cheese to make omelettes. 

As you were cooking, Bucky joined you, sleepily running a hand through his hair. He looked around for a moment, getting his bearings, before slipping past you to get to the coffee machine.

“Good morning,” you said, moving out of his way. “I’m making omelettes, would you like one?”

“Sure,” he replied, still a bit out of sorts. When his coffee was ready, he went to the breakfast bar and sat down. 

Once you finished making omelettes, you put a plate in front of him with toast, jelly and cantaloupe, then got your own plate and sat down beside him. You weren’t sure how much he would eat, so you’d made his with six eggs and extra ham and cheese. 

“If that’s not enough, I can make more for you.”

“This is fine. I’m used to eating less,” he replied. 

The conversation lapsed while you both ate, with you getting up to make more tea for you and another coffee for him. He took it black, something you’d never been able to get used to. 

“How long have you worked Stark?” He asked quietly. 

“Five years now,” you responded. “First as a personal assistant to Pepper. Once she found out I had a knack for planning events, I kinda got bumped up doing that. I think she created a position for me so that I could still work closely with her.”

Bucky nodded while he continued to eat. He’d already finished the omelette, and was making inroads through the toast. You got up to make another cup of coffee for him. 

“Do you want another? There are more eggs.” You were already finished with yours. 

“If you’ll show me how to make them, I won’t have to bother you,” he replied hesitantly. 

“It’s no bother, please don’t think that,” you assured him. “I don’t mind at all.”

You guided him through the steps in making another omelette. While he was doing that, you looked in the fridge in order to do a quick inventory. There was a stack of steaks there and some chicken. Those would do for a couple of days, but you would get a list from Bucky of foods that he liked so that you could get it delivered. 

You also checked to see what was in the cabinets that you could use for evening meals after you returned from work. While Bucky ate his second omelette, you wrote out a grocery list with his help. When the list was complete, Jarvis placed the order and then advised that it would be delivered within two hours. 

“That should do us for at least this week, unless you have a bigger appetite than Loki, Thor and Steve,” you told him with a smile. “But we can always get more, so don’t worry about it. Eat whatever you want, whenever you want.”

Bucky was silent for a long minute before nodding. “I was always on the move until Steve brought me here. Food was not at the top of the list at the time.”

“Well, now you don’t have to choose whether to eat or to run,” you responded. “If you need help with the appliances or anything, let me know. I will be at work most days, but will check in with you at lunch, alright?”

He nodded before getting up to take his plate to the sink. He helped you wash and dry the few dishes before going back to his room. You decided to get some work done, so you brought your tablet and folio to the table and spread it out. 

While looking through the papers that had to be sent to the various vendors, you paused over the caterer’s order. Evan’s signature at the bottom gave you a bout of nausea before you put it away. You knew it wasn’t normal to have that type of reaction to a simple signature and you were glad to be away from him. 

You were so engrossed in compiling your task list for Monday that you didn’t hear Jarvis tell you that the groceries were being brought up, making him repeat himself a few minutes before the elevator opened. 

The groceries had been left with an employee in the lobby, who then brought them up. He didn’t leave the elevator but handed packages to you and Bucky, who had returned to help. 

“Thanks, Joey,” you said, waving as the elevator doors started to close. 

“You’re welcome.”

Bucky helped you sort through the packages and put items in their places. After you had put everything up, you turned to him. 

“I was thinking of baking a cake or pie later. Do you have a preference?”

He started to say something but then paused. “I like apple pie.”

“Apple pie it is, then,” you replied, smiling. 

“Thank you.” He smiled back. 

“You bet.”

— — —

The following week was pretty much uneventful, until early Thursday morning. The first three days, you’d gone to check on Bucky and to eat lunch with him. Like Loki, he developed an interest in cooking, although he didn’t aspire to the complex dishes that Loki would try. Bucky only wanted to learn enough to stave off hunger. 

So, you ate whatever he cooked, which you did enjoy. You also asked Jarvis to help him with a grocery list if supplies started getting low. In the evenings, you both were in the kitchen, helping each other with the meal, then with the clean up afterwards. 

That morning, just past midnight, you heard a noise from the common room. It could only be Bucky, so you cautiously left your room to check on him with Natasha’s warning foremost in your mind. 

You silently walked down the hallway on bare feet while listening intently. Then you peeked into the kitchen to find Bucky at the coffee machine, his back to you. 

“There aren’t many people who can sneak up on me,” he said, without turning around. (AN: Yes, I know, I borrowed this.)

His voice startled you, but you stayed put until he did turn around. His lips pulled sideways in a wry smile. He did look a bit unsettled, so you stayed where you were, keeping a safe distance from him. Or at least a _ relatively _ safe distance. If he was as quick as Steve, you wouldn’t stand a chance against him. 

“It’s alright,” he told you. “I’m awake, I just had a bad dream.”

You studied him for another minute or so, before slowly walking closer. Bucky turned to pick up his coffee, then faced you again. 

“Is everything okay?” You asked, still watching him closely. 

“Yeah, it wasn’t as bad as others I’ve had,” he responded, after taking a sip out of his cup. “How did you learn to be so silent?”

“My grandfather taught me to track animals and get as close as I could before they were frightened away,” you replied. “I never really hunted them, but he wanted me to learn some of the Old Ways, as he called it.”

Bucky was silent while he thought that over, then he gave you another smile. “He taught you well.”

“Thanks. Is there anything I can do?”

“Not really,” he said, shrugging slightly. “I would sometimes watch old movies when I could.”

“Come on, let's see if we can find something for you.”

You motioned him to the living room and sat down on a sofa, with him sitting on the other end. It was a large sofa, so you moved to the center to be closer, but not close enough to invade his space. 

“You don’t have to stay that far away from me,” you assured him. “But if you feel better about it, I’ll move to the other end.”

“No, I- I wasn’t sure whether you’d want to be so close.”

“I don’t mind.”

By this time, you had turned the tv on, and started searching through the channels. Bucky paid attention when you showed him how to work the remote and how to display the guide. 

There were a couple of channels with old movies on, and he found one that he liked, so you sat back to watch it with him. By the time the movie was over, he was calmer. 

“I know you have to go to work soon, go back to bed, I’ll be fine.”

“Alright, but if you need me, wake me or have Jarvis do it. He can also help with the tv.”

Bucky nodded as you got up to head back to your room. You weren’t sure if you could get back to sleep, but it was far too early for you to start the day.

Later that morning, you were in Pepper’s office, waiting while she took an important call. As you flipped through notes for the day, you received a text from Natasha. 

  * Nat: how ya doin
  * You: ok
  * Nat: any trouble?
  * You: Bucky had nightmare this morning
  * You: found him in kitchen making coffee
  * Nat: but he seemed ok?
  * You: yes, found him an old movie to watch
  * Nat: that’s good, Steve was worried
  * You: tell the prince I miss him
  * Nat: Thor sez he misses u 2
  * You: wrong prince, dingbat O_o
  * Nat: ;-)

— — —

The team was gone for two weeks when Jarvis announced that they would be home within the hour. It was Saturday, and you were currently watching tv with Bucky when the news arrived. 

When they did arrive, your relief in seeing them faded a bit upon seeing dried blood on faces and clothes. Natasha, Thor, Tony and Steve arrived first, leaving Loki to ride up with Clint. 

_ Blood. _

You clamped your hand over your mouth as the smell of blood caused your stomach to start doing flips. A gray mist began to cloud your vision, and you fought hard not to faint. 

Then Clint and Loki arrived. Loki reeked of the smell, and his clothes were the most stained. 

You hated the taste and smell of blood but the sight of it (in large quantities), even dried, turned you into a basket case. The gray mist enveloped you then you collapsed into a dead faint. 

Steve was the only one close enough to keep you from hitting the floor completely. He quickly put you on the sofa while Loki shouldered the others out of the way.

“Yeah, right,” Tony said, a bit uneasily. “I should have mentioned sooner that she faints at the sight of blood. We should have cleaned up before getting here.”

Loki turned to him with an incredulous expression on his face. 

_ “You think?!” _

“Sorry, my bad.”

Loki could have happily stomped him into the ground for that.


	4. Chapter 4

Thor moved quickly to step in front of Loki when he turned to lunge at Tony. Steve also had stepped in front of Tony in case Loki got past his brother. 

“Loki!”

If anyone was in doubt about Loki’s feelings toward you, those doubts were now dispelled. 

From the glare on Loki’s face, Tony knew he’d messed up. He held his hands up placatingly. 

“You knew, yet you didn’t tell me.” Loki’s voice was deep with anger. 

“Yes, my fault entirely, it’s been awhile since we’ve been bloodied,” Tony replied. “I didn’t think that far ahead, I was just eager to get us home.”

Loki was still angry, but he turned his glance to you. 

“Go clean up,” Natasha stepped forward and spoke calmly. “I’ll stay with her until you get back. Please shower, because she will still be able to smell the blood. That goes for all of you.”

Natasha had the least amount of blood on her, so she waited until Loki returned before going to her room. Loki then sat on the floor and gently took your hand and alternated patting and rubbing it. After a few minutes, you took a deep breath before opening your eyes. You started to sit up but Loki reached over to put his hand on your chest. 

“Stay still.”

At the sound of his voice, your eyes met his quickly. You noticed that his hair was still damp from his shower and he’d changed clothes. 

“I thought you were hurt,” you whispered miserably. “All that blood…”

Loki noticed that you gagged a bit, so he squeezed your hand gently before kissing the back of it. You were still a bit pale so you didn’t move until the queasiness passed. 

“So, now you know two of my weaknesses,” you murmured softly, with a wry smile. 

“That Stark failed to mention your aversion to blood,” Loki said grimly. “I should have ripped him apart.”

“I’m glad you’re back. Were you hurt?”

“Not at all,” he replied. 

“That’s good.” You breathed deeply and ran your free hand over your face and through your hair. He allowed you to sit up, but watched carefully. 

“I’m alright,” you told him. “It’ll take a minute for my head to stop swimming.”

Loki moved from the floor to sit beside you and gathered you close with an arm around your back. You leaned against him, closing your eyes as you breathed in his scent of wintermint and of the shower gel he used. 

“You smell good.”

“I imagine much better than before?”

“Oh, yes.”

He smiled into your hair while hugging you gently. You stayed that way for a couple of minutes until everyone started filtering back in after they’d cleaned up. 

“Are you guys hungry?” You asked. “I didn’t have time to start anything. Bucky and I were watching TV.”

“We can get it, you stay there,” Tony replied. “_Please _ stay there.”

Tony figured if Loki had his hands on _ you_, he would be less apt to put them on _ him._

“Wanna go outside?” You asked. “Since everyone else is in the kitchen?”

“Yes, I’d like that,” he replied, getting up and pulling you to your feet, then leading you out to the swing. 

Tony breathed a sigh of relief to have Loki otherwise occupied and out of the way. It had been a close thing and he’d almost gotten his assets kicked. 

“You nearly got your ass kicked,” Thor commented, unknowingly mirroring Tony’s thoughts. 

“You don’t have to tell me,” Tony replied. 

— — —

“It will start to get cooler soon,” you said quietly while curled against Loki’s side. “We won’t be able to sit out here when it’s cold, at least I won’t.”

He straightened the blanket over you, then pulled you even closer before taking your hand to gently rub your fingers. He’d missed you while he was gone and couldn’t wait to get back, even if it meant taking unnecessary chances or disobeying Thor. 

He’d been in a fine temper during most of the mission, so much so that no one wanted to work with or even speak to him. That suited him just fine, anyway, since the only other person that he could half tolerate, other than Thor, was Natasha. 

The tiny redhead was a fierce thing, and he actually liked watching her fight. It was clear that most of her opponents underestimated her, and they quickly learned their mistake. 

Loki did, however, find it curious that the little fireball seemed to be best friends with someone who didn’t fight, despite her nickname, and who was quite gentle unless she felt someone was being wronged. He’d find time to ask Natasha about it later, he decided. 

He smiled to himself when you put your head on his shoulder, with a contented sigh. His hand rubbed up and down your back, making you drowsy even though you had slept in that morning. When his fingers brushed along your side, near the side of your breast, you jumped slightly and started to move away. 

“Wait,” he told you softly, holding you still but ready to let go if you continued to withdraw. 

“I - I’m sorry,” you muttered, dropping your gaze and hating the fact that you knew your cheeks were red. 

“No, you need not apologize.” Loki thought that he might talk to Natasha sooner rather than later. He gently tilted your face up so that you would meet his gaze. “That was unintentional, alright?”

You nodded silently, hating your reaction to him, because you hadn’t really minded, it was only a knee-jerk response. Loki ran his thumb very lightly over your lips before pressing a brief kiss to them. He then took your hand to put it to his cheek, then to the side of his neck. 

You knew he could feel that you were trembling, yet you couldn’t stop. In fact, your racing thoughts caused you to tremble even more. Loki continued to hold your hand against his skin while rubbing your fingers. 

“Here, come here.” 

As before, he scooped you up to put you onto his lap. He didn’t like that you had your head down, not wanting to look at him. He realized that he was slowly seeing things about you that he hadn’t noticed before. 

He reasoned out that the former boyfriend must have been worse than he realized. He would definitely be talking to Natasha very, very soon. 

“Hey, you two, lunch is ready if you want it!”

Natasha’s voice sounded from the doorway of the promenade. Loki got up and set you on your feet, then stole a kiss before leading you inside. 

Tony watched him to be sure that he wasn’t in imminent danger of getting stomped and was relieved when Loki barely spared him a glance. 

Although they had been gone for two weeks, the team wanted to know what you and Bucky had done during the time. You knew that they couldn’t really discuss the details of their mission, and didn’t expect them to. 

“There’s not really much to tell, I worked as usual, Bucky did whatever Buckies do during the day, and we ate dinner together. I showed him how to find old movies on TV. He made popcorn the right way, on the stove and not the microwave.”

You stopped long enough to see if there was anything else, other than Bucky’s nightmare, that they might want to know. 

“Did I miss anything?” You asked Bucky, deliberately omitting the nightmare. As long as Steve knew, you didn’t feel that anyone else needed to know. 

“That’s about it. In case you didn’t know, she can bake a mean apple pie,” Bucky said, with a smile. 

“I’ve had one and you’re right,” Loki confirmed. 

“I don’t suppose there’s any left?” Steve asked, wryly, already knowing the answer to that. 

“Not likely,” Bucky laughed, and Steve caught a glimpse of his friend the way he was when they were younger, before the war. 

“I ordered groceries earlier today and am getting more apples. I can bake a couple more if anyone’s interested,” you said. “Didn’t know when you’d be back, so I ordered enough food for another week.”

“I’m putting in a request for one pie for myself,” Bucky said, with a wink at you. 

“I think I’d better lay claim to one myself,” Loki added, putting his arm across the back of your shoulders. 

— — —

On Monday, you were in Pepper’s office at your small desk, and poring over the massive checklist. You were relieved to see that the list was getting shorter as things were checked off; soon there would only be the need to keep things going smoothly and to put out small fires as they came along. 

It was lunch time, and Tony had taken her out to lunch, which meant that she would likely be late returning. Tony invariably would turn a lunch hour into lunch _ hours_, or lunch _ afternoon_. 

You had grabbed a veggie snack from a vendor and were eating when Loki knocked softly on the door. You motioned him in with a smile, noticing that he had something in his hand. 

“Is that your lunch?” He asked, curiously. 

“Yeah, I couldn’t decide what I wanted, so just…” your words faded when the took the small container of raw carrots and broccoli and tossed them into the garbage.

“I’ve brought something much more substantial than that,” he said, while walking over to the conference table, then motioned you over. 

He held out a chair, then opened the lunch bag he had so that he could set out two plates of food. 

“Oooh, my favorite.”

The smile that he received made Loki wonder why he hadn’t thought of it before. After Bucky had suggested it, he’d stared at the soldier for several minutes in shock as the words registered with him. 

While you ate, Loki asked how the planning was going, and you were happy to tell him about what had been done so far, and that the “to-do” section was getting much smaller. 

“So far, no hiccups,” you told him while crossing your fingers. 

After you both finished eating, Loki packed up the plates before getting to his feet. He drew you up with him by a gentle tug on your hand, then an arm around your waist pulled you even closer. 

Your hands slid up his arms until they reached his shoulders, then you tiptoed for a kiss. He obliged you, then put his forehead against yours for a moment. After a couple of minutes, you turned your head slightly to rub your cheek against his. 

“You smell good,” you murmured. “Like fresh snow, wintermint and evergreen trees.”

You felt his smile before he tilted his head so that he could press a kiss just behind your ear. When he did that, you felt a shiver run through you. 

Loki held onto you for a couple more minutes, relishing the warmth of your body against him and the scent of your perfume. 

“You smell good, too,” he whispered, sending another shiver through you. 

You moved your hands so that you could run them up his back; his muscles jumped lightly and you were in awe of the raw strength in evidence. Loki hummed softly and held you closer to him. You felt _ privileged _ that this beautiful, strong prince would let you touch him. 

_ Unworthy. _The thought intruded before you could stop it. You knew that there were likely better candidates for Loki that didn’t include a lowly mortal and that he could be expected to court one of them. 

“Stop.” He placed a finger under your chin and had you look at him. You were certain then that he could read minds. 

Loki didn’t have to read your thoughts as he could see them reflected in your eyes. The self-doubt was there, and he wanted to erase it permanently, along with its source. 

“I have a surprise for you when you’re done for the day,” he said. 

A quick knock at the partially open office door caused you to jump slightly, then you stepped back from Loki to see who had entered. 

_ Oh, shit. _

Evan had started to come in but stopped when he realized that you weren’t alone. Loki kept his arm at your waist while he looked at Evan briefly. 

“I shouldn’t be too late tonight,” you told him. 

He smiled then gave you a quick kiss before leaving you with the visitor. Evan turned to watch him go, then turned back to approach you. 

“It’s not very professional of you to have a make out session while at work,” he commented, while looking you over. 

“It’s not any of your business for three reasons: it’s my lunch break, you’re not the boss of me, and really, it’s none of your business.”

“So, the new beau?” He asked, raising a hand to brush a strand of your hair back over your shoulder. “Is he the one that gets to take you to bed?”

“More likely to be him than you. But again, not any of your business.” You raised your hand to block his.

Even frowned slightly at your rebuff. 

“Why are you here?” You asked, tightly. 

“I was hoping to discuss the contract we negotiated,” he said, crossing his arms. “You, darling, made a mistake on the number of people that were expected to attend.”

“I did no such thing,” you retorted. “Pepper isn’t here right now; Mr. Stark took her to lunch and it will be awhile before she gets back. Perhaps you should call ahead and make an appointment. And don’t call me ‘darling’.”

Evan frowned again, not being used to you standing up to him or defending yourself. 

“So,” you motioned toward the door. 

He had no choice but to leave. You walked him to the door and watched while he pressed the elevator button, then stepped on. To your horror, before the doors could close, Loki came from nowhere and slid in beside him. He winked at you just as Evan was sealed in with him. 

“Jarvis! Loki and Mr. Ransley are on the elevator together, please alert Thor if they start fighting.”

You slipped off your shoes and headed toward the stairwell in a panic, knowing that you would never reach the ground floor in time. 

“Tala?”

Natasha’s voice stopped you, and you turned toward her, desperate. 

“They’re on the elevator, _ together_!”

“Who?” She asked. 

“Evan and Loki.” You had nearly sobbed out the names as you reached out and grabbed her arms. “Please…”

“Stay here.”

— — —

Evan gave a start when Loki slipped onto the elevator with him, with Loki giving him a slight nod. Loki said nothing while the elevator stopped and started for other employees who were going about their daily business. 

“You know, you probably shouldn’t waste time on her,” Evan commented while they were alone. 

“Why’s that?” Loki replied, mildly. 

“She will lead you on for months, then drop you when you start expecting something from her.”

Loki appeared to think this over, but he’d gotten an insight to Evan. He knew that you were nothing like he had described. 

“Oh, I don’t know, I find her delicious,” Loki replied. “No, _ delightful_, I meant to say.”

Evan looked over at him, frowning. Loki stood tall and straight, unruffled by the other man’s words or perusal. 

“Just telling you, man to man,” Evan said.

Loki moved then and slapped the stop button on the elevator panel. Evan stepped back as far as he could when Loki’s demeanor changed. Loki was a good six inches taller and more muscular, and Evan realized that he’d said too much. 

He hadn’t recognized Loki right away, but now it dawned on him when Loki had stopped the elevator. He knew that he was quite possibly a dead man. 

“I appreciate your effort to warn me about Tala,” Loki told him, his voice low and clipped. “However, you needn’t have bothered. I see her for what she is….and I see you for what you’ve done to her. She hasn’t told me everything, yet, but I’ve just learned much more from you.”

Evan met Loki’s emerald eyes, trying to determine whether there was a threat of violence, but Loki simply stood still, towering over him. 

“You’d do well to stay away from her, however I understand that you’re here because of her job. So, the next best option is for you to treat her with respect, because I will be watching. Is that clear?”

“Crystal clear,” Evan replied. 

“We have an understanding, then?”

Evan nodded and then breathed a sigh of relief when Loki started the elevator again. When the doors opened on the ground floor, Loki stepped aside to let him out first. Then he noticed that Natasha was waiting for them. 

The brief stop had allowed her time to commandeer another elevator and have Jarvis take her straight to the ground floor despite the protests of several employees that were trapped with her. They went quiet when she simply ignored them and glared. 

“Whatcha doing there, Prince?” She asked casually. 

Evan had stopped between her and the elevator and felt very vulnerable with her in front of him and with Loki behind him. He silently edged away from them both. 

“Nothing,” Loki replied. “Just having a little conversation with Evan here.”

“Is that so?” Natasha asked, giving Evan a cursory glance. “Are you finished?”

“Quite finished,” Loki told her. 

“Yeah, but I have to go now. It was nice meeting you, uh…” Evan waited for Loki to supply his name, but when he didn’t, he finally got around Natasha and headed for the door. 

They watched him go, then Natasha turned her attention to Loki, who was still watching Evan until he’d left the building. 

“So?” Natasha said, motioning toward the elevator that Jarvis was holding. “I think we need to check on Tala, since she likely thinks there’s been bloodshed.”


	5. Chapter 5

Loki gave her a brief nod while taking a deep breath. It hadn’t been his intention to upset you, but he’d lingered outside Pepper’s office and had overheard the conversation. He deduced that the man in office was the “Ex”, and decided to have a little talk with him. 

Once he was on the elevator, he’d exerted great self control in not reducing the man to a broken heap after Evan had commented about you. As the man talked, Loki knew that he was lying and wasn’t worthy of you. He saw what kind of person that Evan was and realized instinctively that you’d done well to get away from him. 

Loki followed Natasha to the open elevator and stood quietly for just a moment. 

“I don’t like him,” he finally commented, causing Natasha to look at him in surprise. 

“No one does,” she replied. 

“Then it’s good that she’s well away from him.”

“Yes.”

Loki was silent for another couple of minutes before speaking again. 

“Why is she called ‘Wolf’ when she is anything but?”

Natasha smiled at him. “When she was young, about five years, she carried an injured wolf cub to her grandfather and asked him to heal it.”

“A wolf?” He asked, incredulously. 

“Yes. Her grandfather gave her the name then, saying something about having a vision of her and a wolf, well before this happened.”

Loki studied on this for a moment. “She has strength, deep down, but rarely shows it. _ He _ kept her off balance so that she is afraid to use it.”

“Yes.” Natasha knew that Loki wasn’t speaking about your grandfather. “I think she has a photo of her and the wolf, and also one with her grandfather. You should ask her about it.”

By then they had reached Pepper’s office again. Loki held the elevator doors while Natasha stepped off, then they both went into the office. 

“—- he said something about a mistake on the contract on the number of attendees...here’s the contract with the price for five hundred people. I think he made the mistake on his bid and is trying to get more money.”

You were speaking to Pepper, and holding out the contract to her. Your hands were shaking badly; Pepper noticed, but didn’t comment. She took it and set it aside, then merely raised an eyebrow at you. 

“Well, he will either honor his price, or we can just go with someone else. There’s plenty of time for that if it becomes necessary, and there are others who would gladly take his place.”

You knew then that she thought your nervousness was due to the claim of a mistake, but you wouldn’t correct her. You’d noticed Loki and Nat when they came in, but didn’t acknowledge them right away. 

“Yes.”

“Tell you what, if you’re at a stopping point, why don’t we knock off early today?”

“Alright. I’ve responded to the emails that came in, and there’s nothing else to do today. Thank you.”

“Sure. Try not to worry about this. There is plenty of time to sort it out.”

You nodded before going to your desk to tidy up and pack your notes and tablet into your satchel. Pepper did the same and left the office. Once she was gone, the strength left your legs and you sank into your desk chair.

“Hey, hey.” Natasha was instantly at your side. “It’s alright. He still lives.”

She tried to make light of the fact that Evan had had a close brush with Death and walked away. 

“I don’t want him _ dead_.” You looked up at Loki. 

“We had a few words, that’s all,” he assured you. 

You nodded and took a deep breath. “Alright, let’s go. I’m done.”

Loki reached for your satchel while you protested that it wasn’t necessary, but you lost the tug of war over the bag. Natasha smiled at the sight when you gave him a disgruntled look just before he took your hand. 

When the three of you got onto the elevator for the short trip to the Avengers level, he set the bag down and drew you against him, wrapping his arms around you from behind. You leaned against him silently while Jarvis kept the elevator from stopping on any other floors. 

“Alright, go change into something comfortable and meet me here,” Loki told you after handing you the satchel. 

“Ok.” You looked at Natasha, who simply shrugged. 

Once you’d changed, you joined Loki, who then led you to the promenade toward the swing. You laughed softly upon seeing the new addition: a sturdy hammock. 

“Come.” 

He guided you closer and then indicated that you should get onto it first. You did so carefully, scooting to the opposite edge so that he could lay down beside you. Once again, his weight caused you to roll partially on top of him, but he held you there to keep you from moving. 

“I have a question,” you said, looking into his vivid green eyes. 

“What's that?” 

“May I kiss the prince?”

The corners of Loki’s mouth turned up into a slight smile, while he gently stroked your cheek with the backs of his fingers. 

“You may,” he replied. “But let it be known that you don’t need to ask permission.”

“Thank you.” Your smile was teasing. 

“No, thank _ you, _little one.”

The new pet name gave you a warm feeling inside and you did your best to keep a blush off your face. Then you kissed him, and he kissed you back, slowly taking control until you were breathless. You knew that you weren’t exactly the best kisser, but he absolutely knew how to kiss and you suspected that it was likely that he’d caused at least one woman to swoon afterwards. 

Your fingers slid along his throat until you reached the top button of his dress shirt, then caressed the skin that was exposed. You didn’t dare go further, so you kept his throat your focus while your head came to rest on his shoulder. 

“I like the surprise,” you murmured. 

“Good. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed our little outdoor chats until a few weeks ago. I should have done this sooner.”

“If I should fall asleep, please wake me if I start drooling on you. Please.”

Loki gave a low chuckle. “Very well, if you insist. “

There was a couple minutes’ silence before Loki spoke again. 

“Natasha said that you once found an injured wolf cub. Tell me about that, and about your grandfather.”

You did as he asked and told him what your grandfather had told you. 

“How could you have been sure that its mother wasn’t about?”

“I vaguely remember the incident, and I guess a five year old couldn’t have possibly known to stay away from a yelping wolf cub, so I suppose I was lucky that she wasn’t there. I figure that I thought it was just a lost dog and wanted to help it.”

“Hmmm.” Loki rubbed his hand up your arm thoughtfully. 

“I would spend most of my summers with my grandfather, and I loved him deeply. I thought he walked on water and was devastated when he passed, but he had a good, long life and lived until he was ninety-seven years old.”

“He sounds intriguing. I would liked to have met him.”

“He had enough stories and knowledge that seemed like he had lived for at least two centuries,” you said, with a laugh. 

Loki hugged you closer while playing with your hand, intertwining his fingers through yours then squeezing slightly. You watched the graceful but strong hand, enchanted. 

— — —

It was now November, and the holidays were fast approaching. Halloween was spent in the tower, on the floor designated for parties or gatherings for just a few people. It was a fun party, with costumes and all kinds of junk foods that Thor and Loki went nuts over.

Halloween wasn’t really your thing, and your taste in scary movies tended to lean toward family friendly ones. There was a particular movie that had gathered a huge cult following even though it was at least twenty years old. It was about three witches, a black cat and a spell book. You would always watch it and then another older movie that ran during the Christmas season. 

Now, with Thanksgiving approaching, the plans for the Christmas event were pretty much complete. There had been no major issues thus far, but there was still time for something to go wrong. You would be glad when it was all over; you were ready for the new year and a fresh start with three weeks vacation at the cabin in your sights. 

With Natasha helping, you bought food for the Thanksgiving dinner, then you enlisted anyone who could help to do so. Loki stepped in to help with the cooking while Bucky helped to peel potatoes, apples or whatever else was needed. 

Thor was less than helpful in the kitchen, so he was banished for the duration. He was allowed to wash cookware as the sink filled; he was happy to do it, but did give Loki dirty looks when his brother would drop something into the sink so that it splashed onto Thor’s shirt. 

Tony and Steve elected to stay well away from the activity, and Steve said he would help clean up afterwards. 

After Thanksgiving was over, Christmas loomed straight ahead. You hadn’t decided on a dress yet, even though Natasha kept reminding you that there wasn’t really that much time left to get one. You wanted a dress that would be comfortable, and shoes also, because you would be working and keeping an eye on the food and drinks while the party was underway. 

Finally, you took a day to go shopping with her. You didn’t really like to shop that much, but with Natasha along, you had a good time and spent too much money, _ way _ too much money. Somehow you’d ended up with three dresses and shoes to match. 

“I don’t need three formal dresses,” you’d whispered in horror when she snatched your personal debit card out of your hand and used Tony’s instead. 

“Yes, you do.” She shrugged. 

Once in the car for the drive back to the tower, you had a sudden thought. 

“What do you get an Avenger for a Christmas gift? I know Thor and Loki don’t know much about the holiday, but what do you buy princes?”

“Not sure exactly, but you might try a good whiskey or something along that line.”

“There’s nothing here that compares to that Asgardian mead they carry,” you replied. 

“I’ve never had any, so I wouldn’t know.”

“Really? I would have thought...anyway, two drops almost caused me to hack up a lung.”

“Did you get into Thor’s stash?” She asked, eyebrows arched in surprise. She felt that she might have a proud moment if you _ had _ stolen from Thor, but her bubble burst fairly quickly. 

“Of course not. Loki gave me some.”

“Really?” _ Ah, this is a surprising turn, _she thought. Rarely did anyone get to share in the Asgardian liquor. Thor was very careful who he gave some to, seeing that it was so much stronger Midgardian alcohol. 

“Yes. It’s not bad.”

Natasha laughed at that until you gave her an exasperated look. 

“What’s so funny?”

“Thor doesn’t hand out his mead to just anyone, I bet Loki has found his cache.”

You couldn’t help but grin at the thought of Loki hoarding his own supply but being free with Thor’s stash. 

“Wonder what Thor will do if Loki is stealing his liquor?” She asked. 

“Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening,” you quipped. 

Both of you burst into peals of laughter, unable to stop even when tears were running down your cheeks. Natasha almost swerved out of her lane, but quickly recovered before stopping at a red light. 

“I wouldn’t want to be near them if that happened,” she said. 

“I would,” you replied, shrugging when she glanced over at you in surprise. “It’s probably not _ that _ unusual an occurrence.”

“You’re probably right,” Natasha replied. “There’s a liquor store just up here. We’ll look around.”

— — —

When you and Nat returned to the tower, it was almost dinner time. You both had packages, which were taken to your room and placed onto the bed. You hung the dresses up so that they wouldn’t get wrinkled, then put the shoes underneath them on the floor. 

All that remained were several small brown bags, which contained your purchases from the liquor store. You weren’t sure if you could wait for Christmas to give them out. You’d bought something for yourself, so maybe you would share it to see what the reaction would be. 

“Did you ladies have fun?” Steve asked, when you and Natasha returned to the kitchen. 

“I spent too much,” you grumped, looking sideways at Natasha, who merely smiled and shrugged. “Don’t know what I’ll ever do with three formal dresses.”

“What’s this?” Bucky asked, indicating the bag that you’d set on the counter. 

“Something to share after dinner,” you replied, smiling at him. 

“Ah, a surprise,” Tony said. 

After dinner, you opened the bag and took out a jar with clear liquid, and one that was stuffed full of candied cherries. Before sitting down, you brought some glasses to the table. 

“What is it?” Loki asked, curiously. 

“White lightning or moonshine,” you replied. “And cherries soaked in it.”

You opened the mason jar that held the clear liquor and carefully poured it into the short glasses. 

“I’m sure it doesn’t hold a candle to the mead, but I thought it might be close enough.”

While the men sampled their drinks, you opened the other jar and used a spoon to dig out a cherry for yourself before pushing the jar toward Natasha. 

“Whoo.” You coughed slightly while chewing on the fruit. “What do you think?”

“Not bad,” Thor replied, pouring more for himself, then for Loki, who’d pushed his empty glass toward him. 

You ate a couple more cherries before putting your spoon aside. Just those few had your head swimming. 

“You’re not quitting, are you?” Tony asked, reaching for the other mason jar. 

“I think I’d better,” you replied. 

Half an hour later, you and Natasha had eaten almost all of the cherries, leaving you two sheets to the wind. You were trying to tell a story about your grandfather, but couldn’t get through it without giggling. 

“— he was so angry...and…I guess you had to be there…”

You very suddenly dropped your head onto the table, using your arms as a pillow. Thor rubbed his hand over his face, trying not to laugh while Tony was strangely fascinated. 

“You don’t need anymore of these,” Natasha said, pushing the jar across to Bucky and Steve. 

“But they’re good.” Your voice was muffled, and you were silent for just a moment. “Am I in bed? No, I don’t have a table in my room.”

Loki got up when you started laughing again. You took a deep breath and slowly raised your head, pushing up with your hands. You held on to the edge of the table while swaying slightly. 

“Come on, I’ll help you. You’ve had quite enough alcohol tonight.”

Loki helped you up, then held you firmly against his side while he led you to your rooms. 

“It’s not fair, you know,” you told him, frowning. 

“What’s that?”

“I’m drunk while the rest of you...aren’t.”

Loki had you sit on the edge of the bed while he knelt down to pull your shoes off. He caught you when you slid off, shaking his head when you found it hilarious. 

“I’m going to be so hung over,” you muttered. “Wait...do I have to work tomorrow?? What’s today?”

You were close to panicking until Loki assured you that it was Friday, and you didn’t have to work the next day. 

“Loki?” He looked up, and was surprised when you slid one hand through his thick hair.

“Hmmm?”

“I like you.”

“I like you, too,” he responded

“No, I mean I like-like you.” 

Your other hand slid through his hair, then you leaned down and kissed him. He could taste the cherries and liquor when he kissed you back. You made a sound of protest when he pried your hands out of his hair in order to stand. 

“I like-like you too, little one, but now you’re to go to bed.”

He scooped you up so that he could help you lay down, and then was surprised again when you latched onto him, unbalancing him so that he fell next to you. One of your arms circled his neck tightly, while the other went under his arm and across his back. Finally, your leg hooked around his, with your heel digging into the back of his thigh. 

“Don’t leave,” you whispered, rubbing your cheek against his. “I want you…”

Loki groaned softly when you kissed the side of his neck. When your teeth found his earlobe, he knew he was doomed if he didn’t get out of there quick. 

“If I were to make love to you, darling, I want you to remember it,” he replied, trying to untangle himself from your embrace. 

Each time he got free from one limb, you’d grip harder with the others until he finally gave up, since he didn’t want to hurt you. You had laughed softly the entire time. 

“I’d remember,” you assured him, nuzzling again at his neck. “Why wouldn’t I…”

Your voice faded off, while your hold on him slowly relaxed. Once Loki had successfully freed himself, he stayed where he was for a moment, looking into your sleeping face. He kissed you very lightly, his lips just ghosting over yours. You smiled at the touch, even though you were out like a light. 

Loki straightened your position on the bed, then pulled the covers over you. He left you in the clothes you had on, figuring that you would probably get up later and change. He closed the door after turning off the lights, then returned to the table. 

“Did you have any trouble?” Thor asked, with an amused smile at his brother. 

“None, why do you ask?”

“Because your shirt is untucked, and your hair is a mess,” Tony replied quickly, before Thor could. 

Loki gave Tony a disgusted look while he tucked his shirt back on, then smoothed his hair down. He reached out to refill his glass again, but the jar was empty. There were a few cherries left, along with a small amount of liquor in the bottom, so Natasha pushed them within his reach. 

He nodded at her in thanks. The moonshine wasn’t near as strong as the Asgardian mead, but it was much stronger than the other stuff that Stark had. It was no wonder that you were already passed out. 

— — —

The next morning, you woke up and stared at the ceiling. Your head was splitting and you noticed that you still had on your clothes from the previous day. As you laid there, you tried to remember what had happened, because you didn’t recall getting to bed or why you hadn’t changed. 

You only remembered sitting at the table, sharing the cherries with Natasha, but nothing after that. You managed to sit up, slowly, and moved to the edge of the bed. It took a few minutes before you could get to your feet in order to walk unsteadily to the bathroom. 

When you finished there, you slowly went back to the bed and sat down again. You were debating on getting up to change when a knock sounded at the door. It was a soft knock, but you felt it at the back of your eyes. 

“Come in.” Even the sound of your own voice hurt you head. 

Natasha peeked in before bringing up the lights slowly, stopping only when you winced. She came into the room, grinning as she sat beside you. You groaned at the movement. 

“Good morning,” she said quietly. 

“That’s debatable,” you muttered back, rubbing both hands over your face. “What happened last night?”

“You, my dear, got wasted. I’m so proud of you.”

“Shut up, dingbat,” you replied, grouchily. 

She laughed softly as she bumped shoulders with you. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“Please tell me I didn’t do anything stupid.”

“You tried telling a story about your grandfather, but couldn’t get through it without laughing. You never finished, and we’re still waiting for the punchline.”

“Shit. Anything else?”

“You mauled Loki.”

_ “What?” _

“Oh, yes,” she laughed again, causing your head to absolutely _ pound_. 

“What did I do?”

“I’m not entirely certain, but he brought you to bed and when he came back, his shirt was untucked and his hair royally mussed.”

“Geez.” You rubbed your face again, then hung your head. 

Natasha got up to grab a pair of jeans and a fresh tee shirt for you. You sat still for a long time, not certain if you wanted to even leave your room. 

“Come on, he’s holding breakfast for you.”


	6. Chapter 6

“I’m not sure I want to,” you said, reluctantly. 

Natasha simply took your hand and tugged gently. You followed her up the hall on bare feet, dreading facing Loki, since you were unsure what you’d done. The closer you got to the kitchen, the more you pulled back on your hand. 

“Good morning, sunshine,” Tony said, rather loudly. 

“Oh-hhh,” you groaned and batted a hand at him. “Not so loud.”

Loki was near the stove, putting finishing touches on breakfast. He turned to look at you, his eyes lit with amusement.

“Hey, Loki,” you murmured, as you leaned against the fridge. 

“Good morning.”

You winced at the sound of his voice, then peeked at him. He seemed to be waiting on something. 

“I think I may have done something last night that requires an apology…” you said softly before faltering. “So, I’m very sorry.”

“Accepted,” he replied. 

“Just like that?” Natasha asked. “Without even telling the rest of us what happened?”

“Shut _ up_, dingbat!” You growled, closing your eyes at the pounding in your head. “Ohhhh, that hurts.”

“I’m with Natasha,” Steve chimed in. 

“Yeah, me, too.” Thor and Tony’s voices overlapped. 

You glared around the room, and noticed that Bucky was the only one not joining in on the fun. He gave you a little sympathetic wink when Steve elbowed him with a laugh. 

“Fine,” you sighed, turning to Loki once more. “What did I do?”

Loki put his spatula down before grasping your shoulders lightly. You were afraid to hear what was coming. 

“You asked me to marry you,” Loki told you quietly. 

The room erupted with laughter and you felt as if your head would literally explode. You put your hands to your heated cheeks and closed your eyes. 

“Wh- I did what?”

“You asked —“

“No! Don’t repeat it!” 

“When’s the wedding?” Natasha asked. 

_ “Shut. Up. Dingbat.” _ You were mortified. “I - I’m so sorry.”

You turned to leave and smacked Natasha’s hands away when she tried to stop you. 

“Where are you going?” Tony asked. 

“Back to bed.”

You managed to make it back to your room, then laid face down on the bed and pulled a pillow over your head. You felt someone tickle the bottom of your foot before the bed dipped with an extra person’s weight. 

“Go away, Natasha,” you said without moving. 

“It’s not Natasha.”

Your hands tightened on the pillow when you heard Loki’s voice. He laid down beside you and his hand rubbed your back soothingly. After a moment, he pulled on the pillow and you let go of it, sighing when he gently rubbed your neck, then slid his fingers through your hair. 

“That’s nice,” you whispered, eyes closed. “Did I really ask you to marry me?”

You heard him chuckle as he leaned closer to kiss your temple softly. 

“No.”

“What _ did _ I do?”

He leaned even closer and whispered in your ear. Your cheeks burned again once he’d finished. 

“I’m so sorry,” you told him miserably. “Please, can we forget that it happened?”

“It was an offer hard to refuse,” he replied, tugging on a strand of your hair. “However, seeing that you weren’t exactly in your right mind, I suppose we could wipe the slate clean.”

“Thank you,” you said, with a slight sniffle. “I’m never drinking again.”

“You don’t have to go to that extreme,” he responded, stroking your cheek. “Now, let’s get you something to eat. I have a tea ready that will help with your headache.”

“More magical Asgardian honey?”

“Nothing but the best for you, my dear.”

He got up and you let him guide you back into the kitchen and then to the table. You leaned your head into one hand while keeping your eyes closed. 

“I just want you to know that none of you are invited to the wedding, except for Bucky, seeing as he didn’t laugh at me.”

“I’m supposed to be your maid of honor!” Natasha said. 

“Shut it, dingbat.”

— — —

“Have you decided which dress you’ll be wearing to the party?” Natasha asked you later that night. 

Loki’s tea had worked miracles on your headache and nausea; you felt much better and were able to focus on the dresses. They hung from the closet doors so that you and Natasha could compare them. 

“Tell me again why I needed three of them?” You asked, while rubbing material between your fingers to test the fabric’s softness. 

“So that you’ll have a better chance of matching Loki,” she replied. 

“How do you know if he’s even going? Tony might not want him there to keep him from causing trouble.”

“Oh, he’s going. Trust me.”

You glanced over at her quickly. When she took that tone, it only meant that she would be the one causing trouble.

“He didn’t want to and you’ve talked him into it, right?”

“Basically.”

“You do know that I’ll be working?”

“So?” She shrugged. “Doesn’t mean that you can’t mingle or dance occasionally.”

“Yeah, it kinda does,” you replied. 

She laughed softly. “So, the dress? You need to decide in case it has to be altered.”

So you looked at the garments again, then tried them on with the shoes. After a couple of hours of weighing the pros and cons, you decide on one. It was dark red, and you had purchased shoes that would match and also be comfortable since you were going to be on your feet for hours. 

Natasha helped you decide on jewelry to wear with it, since it didn’t need any further embellishments. She picked out a double strand of pearls, earrings and a simple pearl ring from your jewelry box. 

“Yes, this is all you need,” she said, while you modeled. “With your hair done and a crown of Christmas flowers, you’ll turn heads.”

“Oh, pish posh,” you said, waving off the compliment. 

“Or at least one head,” Natasha added softy. 

You turned back toward the mirror, while smoothing the dress down. It fit perfectly, so it wouldn’t need any alterations. While you were never one for flashy jewelry, you wished now that you’d invested in some more substantial pieces for special occasions. 

“Listen, once the holidays are behind us, would you like to go shopping with me for some jewelry for special occasions? I have enough in savings where I could get a couple of pieces.”

“You know, I bet Tony could be persuaded to give you a bonus so that you could get more than a couple.”

“No, I’d really like to earn them for myself.”

“Alright, then.”

— — —

The Christmas party was now just over two weeks away. Your checklist had been marked off, with only some highlighted items where things could still go wrong. The flowers had been ordered, as well as the food and beverages. 

The decorators would start their work the week of the event, with the flowers arriving the night before. Flower crowns with long ribbons would be offered to the female guests, or to those who wanted one. 

Your phone was kept hot with texts and emails from vendors needing last minute instructions or decisions; you finally had to turn it off when you went to bed. When you turned it on the next morning, it chimed incessantly with alerts for missed calls or texts. 

“I will be glad when this is over,” you told Loki one evening while the two of you were relaxing in the hammock. “I enjoy it, but the last two weeks are always crazy.”

With it now being December, it was very cold on the promenade, however you bundled up so that you and Loki could enjoy some quiet time. He was careful to make sure that you were warm enough and kept the blanket tucked just so. The cold didn’t bother him, of course, and he put off enough heat to keep you comfortable. 

“You’ll be ready for time alone at the cabin, I imagine,” he responded, kissing the top of your head. 

“I’ll be ready for time away from the city, but I don’t necessarily want to spend it alone,” you replied. “There won’t really be much to do, it will be too cold for riding or hiking, and there may be snow this time of year.”

“I’m not certain whether I’ll be allowed to go this time, now that I’m expected to go on missions,” he commented.

“I know.” Your voice was soft with disappointment. “Maybe it will work out, if you want to go, I mean.”

“I’d like to,” he assured you, hugging you closer. 

“Good,” you responded. “So, next week I’ll probably be late getting in, or will have to answer calls. Don’t worry if I’m not in before you all go to bed.”

“Alright,” he agreed. “But you must make time to eat properly, and I will ask Jarvis to let me know if you don’t.”

“Agreed, and if you were to bring me lunch on occasion, I wouldn’t argue.”

“It’s a bargain.”

— — —

The week of the event had you literally running from one fire to another. The florist didn’t get a full order of the poinsettias needed for decorating, but was able to get a rush order from a different supplier, as long as money was no object. 

Then there was an issue with the order of champagne and other alcohols. Again, another supplier was able to rush an order to the tower to avert that crisis, because Tony Stark would not have an understocked open bar under any circumstances. 

“If you’ve come to tell me that _ you _ have an issue with your supply chain, I quite likely will scream.”

Evan had approached you while you were overseeing the tentative placement of the flower arrangements. You weren’t in the best of moods, and it was unlike you to snap at anyone, but you were to that point. 

“Well, I did come to tell you that there was a little snafu, but it’s been handled,” he said, watching you. 

“Good.” You spared him a brief glance before moving along with the florist. “And you will have food for five hundred people, yes?”

“Yes,” he responded. “Where are the tables to go? We’ll need access to electrical outlets and to the kitchen.”

“Over there, where you usually set up,” you said, waving toward the area. “If you need help moving them where you want them, grab a couple of the guys over there, but don’t keep them too long, there are other things to move, alright?”

“Sure.”

He watched as you walked away with the florist before turning away to go where he was to set up. Evan had rarely seen you being so assertive, except when it came to your job. When it came to crunch time, you were laser-focused and things had to go smoothly because you weren’t going to disappoint Pepper _ or _ Tony. 

Unknown to you, Loki had found an out-of-the-way place on the upstairs balcony to watch while the activity in the large room slowly yielded results. He mostly watched you smoothly direct the scores of people in their tasks, smiling as you did so. 

You seemed to have an uncanny knack in finding anyone who had the idea that they could slack off. If they thought they could take an extra break on the outdoor balcony, they were quickly disabused of that notion. Loki couldn’t help but laugh whenever someone was caught and sent back in to finish their assignment. 

“She can be a little hellion, when she wants to be.”

Natasha joined Loki, wanting to stay well away from the activities. She knew that if they were spotted, there would be some type of task waiting for them. Loki nodded in agreement. 

“But they all like her, a lot,” she continued. “And they’d do just about anything for her.”

“I can see that.”

Evan had caught Loki’s attention several times, and Loki made a point to keep tabs on him. He remembered what you’d told him while in the pool at the cabin. You’d said that there was always something off about the man, and Loki could sense it, and he also knew that the man was a liar. 

He didn’t like the way that Evan frequently stopped what he was doing in order to watch you. You hadn’t noticed, as you were intent on getting things done. 

“What is it?” Natasha asked quietly. 

“I’m not certain, but he watches her a lot,” Loki replied. “It makes me uneasy.”

Once Loki had pointed it out to her, she could see what he meant. Evan would position himself where he only had to look up to keep you in sight. As a result, he was slow in getting his tables set up and had to hurry the job before he lost his helpers. 

Finally, it was lunch time, and each vendor had half their team go first, leaving the other half to continue working. Loki thought that was a rather clever idea that kept the momentum up. 

“It was her idea,” Natasha said, with a slight laugh. “A couple of years ago, everyone was going at the same time, then grumbled when they actually had to work through the night and into the next morning to get done in time. They hated it at first, but now, they’ve become used to it.”

Loki chuckled softly. “I’ve brought something for her; I had an idea that she might not stop long enough to eat.”

Natasha nodded as he moved away. “I’m going back down before she finds something for me to do.”

— — —

When Loki reached your side, you were making notes on your tablet and therefore startled briefly when he put his arm around your shoulders. You smiled at him while finishing quickly in order to put it away. 

“I’ve brought food for you,” Loki said, steering you toward a balcony door. “And I believe I saw some tables out here.”

“Yes,” you replied. “Thank you.”

Loki knew that Evan was watching but ignored him while he escorted you to one of the bistro tables. You sat down with a sigh of relief. The balconies had windbreaks to keep the worst of the chill down, and even though it was wintertime, it felt good to be out in the fresh air. 

Loki set out the plate, then poured hot tea from a thermos for you. Unknown to you, he had added an ingredient to help you stay calm and to avoid anxiety. 

“This is good,” you sighed, after taking a sip. “Be careful, or you’ll spoil me.”

“And that would be a bad thing?” He asked, with a smile at you. 

“One could get used to being spoiled by a prince.”

“We shall see.”

Your gaze met his twinkling eyes and you smiled back at him. After you were done eating, Loki drew you over to his lap while you finished the tea. It seemed to be his favorite way to keep you close, even though you were a bit self conscious about it. 

You watched while the wind blew tendrils of his raven hair out of place, then you gently smoothed them down. His hair was softer than it looked, and was so thick that you were slightly jealous. 

You then slid an arm across the back of his shoulders, while the other hand caressed his neck. Then Loki sighed contentedly when you kissed his jaw before resting your head against his. 

“Thank you,” you murmured. 

“I’m sure you’re welcome but why?”

“For like-liking me, and for spoiling me.”

“No thanks are needed for that, Tala,” he replied. 

You both stayed that way until the first half of the crew started returning from lunch. Loki reluctantly let you get up, and only he saw that Evan had been watching through windows. 

Loki felt a stab of irritation, and felt even more strongly that the other man merited closer scrutiny. He still didn’t know the details of your previous relationship with Evan, but he was certain that it was much worse than had been hinted at. 

When he had asked, Natasha hadn’t really told him any more than he’d already deduced, out of loyalty to you. Even Pepper and Tony apparently didn’t know the full extent of it, since they kept hiring Evan to cater events for them. 

When Evan was slow to move away from the window, Loki tilted your face upwards in order to kiss you. 

“You want to stick around and help out?” You asked, with a teasing grin. “And don’t think I didn’t notice when Natasha beat a retreat.”

Loki laughed at that. “I would be useless in this endeavor, Little Wolf. I wouldn’t want you to have to undo the mess I’m sure I would make.”

“Alright, then. Thanks for lunch and tea. Both were delicious as always.”


	7. Chapter 7

The week passed rather quickly in your opinion, and went more smoothly than you anticipated. That left you cautious that anything that could go wrong, _ would _ go wrong. 

The event was on Friday night, and it was now Thursday. The placement for the flowers was staged so that all the florists had to do was put them where they belonged. 

The bar was fully stocked, with plenty of extra cases in the back room. Tony had also arranged to have drivers and hotel rooms for those that might need them. 

The only thing that concerned you was the food. Even though Evan had gone over the contract with Pepper, you weren’t entirely certain that he wouldn’t pull some trick to try to embarrass you, Pepper, or Tony, but mainly you. 

While the event room was less busy, you reviewed the set up of the bar and kitchen, and where Evan had put his tables. Everything looked fine, seeing as he had access to plenty of electrical outlets; the kitchen was clean and orderly, with working stoves and refrigerators, and with ample service ware. 

With just a few finishing touches, everyone was allowed to leave early that evening; the florists would be there very early to start setting the flower arrangements, while the bartenders, kitchen staff, and servers wouldn’t be required to arrive until noon in order to start their preparations. 

After making your rounds, you left to get some rest. You were a bit keyed up, so you decided to soak in the tub. When the elevator doors opened to let you out, you could see that the common area was empty, and you were a bit surprised that everyone seemed to be in bed, given that it wasn’t that late. 

Before heading to your room, you poured yourself half a glass of wine, then went out to the swing for some quiet time. It was cold out, so you only stayed long enough to finish the wine. 

Then you took a long soak in the tub, luxuriating in a fragrant bubble bath. You were tired, and your feet hurt, but thankfully there were no new blisters. You’d been wearing jeans and sneakers the whole week so that you didn’t have to worry about getting dirty. 

Friday would be busy, and you also had a hair appointment in the late morning, which would leave the vendors and their crews responsible for staying on schedule until you were done. Then you'd have to leave again in order to get dressed. 

_ Almost over, _ you reminded yourself, while drying off and donning a tee shirt that you used as a gown. 

A soft knock at your main door surprised you a bit, since you thought that everyone was in bed. You slid into a pair of shorts before going to the door. 

“Hey,” you said, opening it wide. “I thought you were sleeping.”

“Stark insisted on taking us out again, even though he’s throwing a party tomorrow night,” Loki replied, with a wry frown. 

“It’s a team building exercise, I’m sure,” you laughed softly. “Trying to get everyone to play nicely together. Did Bucky go?”

“Yes.” Loki took both of your hands and squeezed them. “I may be able to tolerate him a bit more now.”

“Good.” 

Loki let go of your hands, then drew you to him in a hug. You pressed your cheek against his chest while your arms circled his waist. 

“Your hugs are warm,” he murmured, putting his cheek on the top of your head. 

“I think you’ve been watching a certain Christmas movie,” you replied, tightening your embrace. 

“Maybe.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that as you moved back to look up at him. When he’d first been banished to Earth, he had detested the television and the myriad of shows that the mortals called ‘entertainment’. Then he’d found the internet and YouTube during his quest in learning to cook. 

Now he was slowly expanding the selection of what he would watch, and there were channels dedicated to holiday movies and shows. Still, he mainly watched history or animal shows, along with cooking shows. 

“I came by to tell you goodnight,” he finally said. “Go rest, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You nodded, then tiptoed to kiss him. Once he’d left, you went to bed, because you intended to be there when the florists started arriving. 

*** ~~~ ***

Later that afternoon, you returned to your room to freshen up before getting dressed. Your hair had been styled, and a flower crown adorned your head. The long ribbons were a bit annoying, and you were sure that you’d actually yank the whole thing off before the evening was over. 

Natasha came in to help you, although you were nearly done by the time she got there. She put another pair of shoes into a small bag so that you could change later on if needed. 

“Beautiful,” she said, after having you turn around. “Now, hold still.”

She had her phone out and took several pictures. 

“Who are you sharing those with?” You asked, suspiciously. 

“Nobody,” she replied, while the side of her mouth twitched in amusement. 

“Liar,” you hissed playfully. “Okay, I’ve got to go. See you there.”

— — —

When the guests started arriving, you watched from a corner near the balcony. It was always gratifying to see their reactions to the decor and the massive amount of flowers. 

Natasha gave you a wave from across the room, and you waved back before turning to oversee the bar and food. Some of the guests headed straight to the bar first, and were served promptly, to your relief. 

As the evening wore on, you moved around the huge room, observing everything. The guests appeared to be enjoying themselves, and the Starks were smiling as they greeted them. 

You looked around to see whether any of the Avengers other than Natasha were there, and saw Thor surrounded by a bevy of women. Charming as always, he seemed to be telling a grand story, since he was embellishing it by moving his arms about. 

Steve and Bucky were off by themselves, but also had a small crowd of people close to them. Bucky looked uncomfortable in being hemmed in, and you sincerely hoped that Steve had taken notice of this. You didn’t think that Bucky would overreact from being crowded, but one could never tell. 

Clint had been at home with his family for several weeks now, and wasn’t expected back until after the first of the year, but he was ready to leave if a mission came up. 

You hadn’t spotted Loki yet, and figured that he had changed his mind, despite Natasha’s cajoling. He probably didn’t want to be in the middle of a crowd of mortals who still remembered when he’d tried to take over the planet. 

— — —

“She’s over there,” Natasha nudged Loki’s arm. “You should ask her to dance.”

“She appears to be busy,” he replied, his gaze moving over the crowd. “And I’m not familiar with your dances.”

“Slow dances are the same everywhere,” Natasha laughed, amused by his feeble attempt to avoid drawing attention to himself. “Get over there and ask her.”

— — —

While you were still watching over the food and bar, you thought you’d spotted Loki, but lost sight of him when a guest approached you with their plate and whispered in your ear. 

“I’m very sorry, I’ll take care of this immediately,” you told her, taking the plate. 

You strode purposefully toward the buffet table, plate in hand. The server looked at you curiously when you got a spoon and took a taste of the chicken dish that the guest had complained about. 

“This is tainted, take it up right now,” you told her. “How much of this has been served?”

“This is the first tray,” she replied, nervously. “There’s several more in the kitchen.”

“Take it up and don’t bring any more out.”

She obeyed while you got fresh spoons and tested the other hot foods, which seemed to be alright. The salad and fruit trays also seemed to be fine.

“What the hell are you doing, ordering my staff about?” 

Evan came up behind you, causing you to turn to face him. 

“That food is spoiled and should never have been served!”

His frown deepened and he looked about, not wanting to be overheard. 

_ “Come with me.” _

Evan grabbed you by the elbow and dragged you toward a conference room. You didn’t want to cause a scene, so you allowed him to do it, but you were going to voice your complaint once you were alone. 

“Now, tell me why you were ordering my employee to do something?”

“That chicken dish was spoiled and needed to be removed immediately,” you snapped, eyes flashing. “Didn’t you even taste it at any point today?”

“And you couldn’t have done that a bit more discreetly?”

“I had to stop her from serving it to any more people,” you retorted. “I would think that you’d want to protect your reputation by checking your food before putting it out.”

He said nothing to that but just glared. You then got a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, as a thought occurred to you. 

“You _ knew, _and wanted to embarrass the Starks, no, _ me, _didn’t you?” You whispered in horror. “And you didn’t care if you made people sick.”

He caught your arm again when you turned to leave, and you were unable to get free from him. 

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to make sure that your company doesn’t serve any more rotten food, and _ then _ I’m going to tell Pepper and Mr. Stark. Now, let me _ go_!”

— — —

“Sir,” Jarvis’s voice interrupted Tony’s dance with Pepper.

“What is it, buddy?”

“There is an urgent situation that needs immediate attention: Tala has activated her panic button—“

“Loki?”

“No, sir. It’s Mr. Ransley, but Loki is looking for her. I’ve also relayed the information to Agent Romanov.”

Tony gave Pepper an apologetic look as he left her to see what the problem was. 

— — —

After you’d told him that you were going to report him to the Starks, Evan reacted in a way that you could never have anticipated: he slammed you against a wall, then held you there with one hand on your neck. He’d never struck up you before, and had only been verbally abusive, so you were shocked into inaction. 

He wasn’t exactly choking you, but his grip was hard just underneath your jaw. You couldn’t call for help, and when you tried to reach his face or at least somewhere that would hurt, he was able to lean back to avoid the attempt. 

Your vision was slowly fading to gray as you began to lose consciousness. Then the door to the room slammed open, and you vaguely felt yourself falling, then felt pain in your hip and wrist. 

_ “Loki!” _

Someone shouted his name, and you thought that it might have been Tony, but then realized that it was Thor. 

_ No, anyone but Thor, _ you thought just as the gray overtook you. 

— — —

“Be still.”

Natasha’s voice penetrated the gray mist when you fought to regain consciousness, and you sensed that someone was helping her to hold you down. Your hip and wrist still hurt, but your throat was much worse. It felt as if someone still had a grip on it. 

“You’re going to be fine, just be still.”

Again, the gray enveloped you while you had the impression of being moved. When you started regaining consciousness again, you felt a new area of discomfort: both arms hurt, with the pain concentrated on the insides of your elbows. 

“Tala.”

Natasha leaned over you when you began to move, and intercepted your hands before they could touch your throat. You blinked rapidly, trying to focus on her face. 

“You’re alright,” she murmured, holding your hands gently. “You shouldn’t touch your neck.”

“He knew, he _ knew_,” you tried to tell her, with your voice coming out as a hoarse croak. 

“Shh, not now.”

“Loki?”

“He’ll be here later.”

You knew instantly that she was lying, that he would have been there with you from the start. Something else must have happened, and you were terrified that Thor had taken him back to Asgard after all. 

Natasha recognized where your thoughts were heading and she very carefully touched your cheek to wipe away the tears. 

“They had to go to DC; a progress report, if you will,” she told you. “Bucky had to go, too. They should be back very soon. Everything is fine, he’s still here.”

“Don’t lie, _ please _ don’t lie to me!”

“I won’t and I’m not,” she replied. 

“My fault, tell Thor..._my _ fault.”

”No, it wasn’t.”

She wasn’t sure that you were convinced and knew you were fearful that Loki would suffer dire consequences if Evan had been seriously injured or killed, regardless of the reason. 

“Evan?” You then asked. 

Something in her expression caused you to scream and fight to get your hands free. Jarvis alerted the medical staff, but they were too late to help Natasha in preventing you from ripping your IV out. 

A sedative was administered quickly, and you were held still until it took effect. Pepper had joined Natasha by that time; she gave the agent a worried look. 

“We’ll have to start another IV,” the doctor told them both. 

“An anesthesiologist is to do it,” Pepper said. “Look what’s already been done to her arms.”

Pepper and Natasha were none too pleased by the bruises where a nurse had tried to start an IV several times when you were first brought in, but missed the vein each time. Natasha had finally stopped her and demanded that an anesthesiologist be called. 

“Alright, I’ll send someone up.”

— — —

When you next woke, Natasha was still beside you. Pepper had taken turns with her so that she could sleep and eat. 

She stood when you tried to move your hands, which were now restrained by leather cuffs. She gently squeezed your fingers while leaning over you to smooth your hair. 

“It’s alright,” she murmured. “You pulled the IV out, so they restrained your hands.”

You nodded while staring at the ceiling. “How long?”

“Just a couple of days,” she replied. 

“Loki.”

“They’re still in DC; you know how those meetings go. I expected them back yesterday but there was a delay.”

You nodded again and took a deep breath. “Evan. Loki killed him?”

“No. _ No,” _ she replied, firmly. “He likely would have but Thor stopped him before he could even touch him. Listen: Evan was arrested for assaulting you; he nearly _ killed _ you. Once he knew that Tony was going to demand that he be buried _ under _ the jail, he took the only out available to him. He couldn’t face his father nor the consequences of his actions.” 

Tears slipped from your eyes from the sadness of a lost life and from the relief that Loki wasn’t to blame. Natasha wiped your face then leaned over to press a kiss to your forehead. 

“Now, if you think you can leave the IV alone, I’ll free your hands.”

“Okay.” You were still hoarse. “My neck? Hurts.”

“You’re bruised deeply there. It will be sometime before the soreness goes away. The doctor was concerned about fractured vertebrae, but the x-rays were clear.”

By this time, she’d released you. Then you noticed the bruises on both arms from the previous attempts by the nurse to get an IV in. 

“The nurse did that before we were allowed to see you. Pepper and I have made sure that an anesthesiologist will be doing any further sticks, if they’re necessary.”

“Thank you.” 

“Sure.”

— — —

Several days later, you were released from the infirmary, with strict instructions to speak softly, or you would be placed back under the doctor’s supervision. Natasha and Pepper both escorted you to the Avengers level and then to your suite, where they made sure that you went to bed immediately. 

Pepper left shortly after you were situated but told Natasha to call her if she needed anything before she returned. Natasha had you take your next dose of medicines, then laid down beside you on the bed. 

Her presence was soothing, and although you missed Loki and the others, you were soon asleep. Natasha took that opportunity to sleep as well, after asking Jarvis to wake her if needed. 

A couple of hours later you woke, needing to go to the bathroom. Natasha didn’t stir when you got up and you told Jarvis not to disturb her, that you were perfectly capable of getting to/from the bathroom on your own. 

Once there, you closed the door softly and carefully locked it. Then you turned to the mirror and nearly fainted at the sight of your reflection. Your throat was horribly bruised, as were your arms. A sick feeling settled in the pit of your stomach when you realized that Evan had fully intended to seriously injure you.

— — —

Jarvis woke Natasha apologetically when you didn’t emerge after thirty minutes. When he unlocked the door for her, she found you sitting on the floor, in the dark.

Silently, she sat beside you, waiting. Your head was on your raised knees, and she could see that your shoulders were shaking. She gently rubbed your back until she was able to coax you back to bed. 

The next morning, you woke up alone, so you dressed and slowly shuffled into the kitchen. Natasha and Pepper were having breakfast and talking softly among themselves. 

“Good morning,” Pepper told you. “How do you feel?”

It still hurt to speak, so you just shrugged as you plugged in the tea kettle, and then took a cup from the cabinet. 

“Hurts,” you whispered, still hoarse. 

“Hungry?” Natasha asked. 

“No.”

You leaned against the counter while waiting for the kettle to finish. Natasha nor Pepper intruded on your thoughts, knowing that you had to face what had happened and sort it out. 

“How many people got sick?” You finally asked Pepper. 

“Just five, thanks to you,” she said, smiling proudly at you. “If you hadn’t reacted so quickly, many more would have been sickened. We owe you a lot for that.”

You shook your head at that; you were only doing your job. 

“Was the party disturbed?” You said, indicating your throat. 

“Not for long,” Pepper assured you. “Once everyone knew that you would be alright, they made a point of telling me or Tony—“

“And the rest of us,” Natasha interjected. 

“Yes, they wanted you to know how much they enjoyed themselves and asked us to tell you to get well soon.”

You wiped at your cheeks, trying to hide your tears, and they pretended not to notice. You occupied yourself with making your tea while wishing that you had some of Loki’s honey to go in it. When you looked in the cabinet, you saw a bottle that looked different; the label had your name on it. The Asgardian honey. 

“I’m going to sit on the swing for a few minutes,” you whispered. 

“It’s too cold for that,” Pepper protested. 

“I won’t stay out very long.”

“Alright.”

They watched you go out onto the promenade, then turned to finish their breakfast. Jarvis would let them know if you needed them, so they left you alone. 

When you came in fifteen minutes later, you were chilled to the bone, but the cold and wind had helped to clear away any remaining cobwebs. You made another cup of tea with honey before sitting beside Natasha at the table. 

“When will they be home?” You asked, wanting to see Loki so that you could be sure that he hadn’t been sent back to Asgard. 

“About that,” Natasha started, then took your hand quickly. “They were released to come back home, but something came up, so they were detoured to take care of it. It shouldn’t take them very long to finish.”

“Can’t I even talk to him?” You still felt as if you weren’t being told everything, as much as you hated distrusting the people that you loved. 

“Jarvis?” Natasha asked. 

“One moment, Agent.”

She took her phone out and placed it on the table. After a couple of minutes, a video chat came in and she answered it before handing the phone to you. 

“Little Wolf.”

The sound of Loki’s voice and the sight of him made you blink rapidly so that he wouldn’t see that you were about to cry. 

“I thought - “ the words wouldn’t come out. 

“I know,” he said, gently. “But everything is fine. I’m sorry that I’ve not been there...this positively horrid Secretary person demanded that Stark and Thor drag me here -“ (there was a protest from both mentioned parties, although you couldn’t see them) “and he wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. But we will be home soon, you have my promise.”

There wasn’t much to say about that, so you simply nodded. 

“Behave, and don’t give Natasha any of your sass,” he teased, with a grin. 

“No sass left,” you replied, noticing that his smile had slipped a little. 

“Oh, I don’t know, I think there’s more in there somewhere. Now, do as they tell you.”

After ending the call, you got up to get a small amount of oatmeal while it was still hot. Natasha set out your medicine, which you dutifully took, even though it made you drowsy. 

“You need to rest,” she told you. “These last few weeks took a lot out of you, even without the incident with Evan. You’re exhausted.”

“Can’t argue there,” you whispered, while eating slowly. 

“When you’re done, I’ll help you take a bath if you want, or you can go back to bed.”

“Later, please.”


	8. Chapter 8

“What day is it?” You asked, after shuffling into the kitchen shortly after noon. 

“The day after Christmas,” Natasha told you. 

“What?” 

She could tell that you were shocked and confused. Apparently, you weren’t aware that you had been in the infirmary for over a week. 

“You’ve lost track of some days,” she replied. 

“Obviously,” you murmured, rubbing your temple. “I didn’t get to give them their gifts.”

“They’ll be home soon enough and you can do it then.”

— — —

Over the next few days, Natasha became increasingly worried about you. You barely ate, and slept for long periods, even without any medicine to make you drowsy. Your neck was still sore, and the bruises were still there, although they had changed to a deep purple color. 

She had Jarvis keep Tony and Loki apprised of your progress. They weren’t at a place where Loki could safely talk to you, and she recognized that you missed him. Natasha also felt that you were blaming yourself for what had happened, even though she and Pepper had tried to reassure you otherwise. 

One morning, after you showered and dressed, she took your suitcase out of your closet and tossed it onto the bed. 

“So, you’re having me committed then,” you said, barely interested in what she was doing. 

“Start packing,” she said. “We’re going on a little trip.”

“I don’t particularly care to go anywhere.”

“Too bad. Pack, or I’ll do it for you.”

“I’m saying ‘no’ right now if you’re planning on taking me overseas, unless Loki is there.”

“Pack.”

When she started pulling out drawers and tossing clothes at you, you conceded if only to keep her from destroying your bedroom. 

“Destination? Cold? Hot?”

“Cold.”

You picked through the clothes she’d tossed and sorted out winter wear, folding them and putting them in the suitcase. Natasha stepped back once she had you moving, then helped you finish packing shoes and toiletries. 

“We’re leaving in an hour, be ready.”

“I have said that I don’t want to, right?”

“Numerous times, but you’re going.”

— — —

An hour later, you were both in an SUV and being driven by one of Tony’s drivers. You hadn’t said anything once you were in the vehicle, just looked out the window during the drive before falling asleep. 

Hours later, you woke when the car stopped moving. It took you a moment to recognize the cabin where you had planned to take your vacation. 

“Vacation has started early, Tala,” she said, in answer to your questioning expression. “Go on inside.”

You obeyed, then sat on the couch while the driver brought in the suitcases and other packages. While things were still being brought in, you got up to go look out the patio door. The pool was uncovered even though there was still remnants of snow left on the ground after the last storm. 

You knew it was supposed to be heated, since you’d requested that it be done a week before you were to arrive, so that the water would have time to warm up. You then looked around to see if there was any sign of the cat. You weren’t really certain that it hadn’t been Loki, although he’d said it wasn’t. 

Natasha came to stand beside you after the driver had brought in the last items and then left. 

“Are you hungry?”

“No.” 

— — —

“Look,” Tony started to say, angrily, but took a deep breath. “We can’t rush things just so that you can get home!”

Loki glared at him without a reply. Everyone had felt the bite of his temper, caused by his desire to get back to the tower as soon as possible. He didn’t particularly care how the mission went, just so that it was done soon. 

Clint, who had left his family to be there, and Bruce, who had been enjoying quiet time to himself, gave Loki sullen looks. If they had to give up time to themselves, _ he _ certainly could as well. 

“Is all this waiting normal or necessary?” Loki growled. “Why do you need me here if we’re just to wait around?”

“Have you ever been hunting?” Clint asked. 

“What kind of question is that?” Loki huffed. 

“Well, have you?”

“Of course I have.” Loki’s eyes flashed angrily. 

“I’m not sure how you hunt on Asgard, but here we stalk and wait until we’re in the perfect position —“

Thor grabbed Loki by the shoulder before he could explode all over Clint. No one wanted Bruce to “go green” before they were ready, and Loki was dancing on the edge of setting him off. They were concerned that it would only take one hard push, and all their progress would be lost. 

While Bruce might be able to ignore Loki, they all knew that if the Hulk made an appearance, Loki would bear the brunt of his anger, and no one would be able to stop him. If Natasha had been there, she likely could keep Bruce calm until the Hulk was needed. 

Tony was distracted by his phone, and he walked away from the group in order to look at the text. Natasha had sent him a photo as well, and his jaw tightened before he responded to the text. He paced silently, wrestling with a decision that had to be made. 

— — —

Natasha had made a late lunch, even though you’d told her that you weren’t hungry. Soon after arriving at the cabin, you’d taken your meds and went to bed for a nap. 

You still weren’t hungry, but did make a cup of tea and picked at your food, taking only a few bites of it, just to please her. 

“Here.”

Natasha slid a small wrapped package across the table. You looked at it for several minutes before raising your gaze to meet yours. 

“What’s this?”

“Something from Pepper and Tony.”

It looked suspiciously like how expensive jewelry would be wrapped, and you didn’t touch it. 

“Go ahead,” she prompted. “That is from your boss and his wife. Are you going to refuse it?”

“I probably should, because I know that it’s likely worth more than I make in a year, maybe two.”

“You’re braver than I thought.”

You snorted at that as you reached for the package. Your fingers trembled, making it hard to tear open the wrapping paper, but your suspicions were realized when you got to the black velvet case. You couldn’t go any further. 

“I-I can’t…”

Natasha took it and opened it, turning it so that you could see it. You turned even more pale than before at the sight of the emerald cut diamond pendant and gold chain that held it. 

“It’s too much, too much.”

“Oh, this is for everyday wear,” Natasha told you with a grin. 

“Wait, what? _ Everyday _ wear??”

“Yep, so you’d better wear it, every damn day,” she replied, before pushing two more gifts toward you. “These, too.”

You slowly opened them to find a matching tennis bracelet and earrings. The gifts overwhelmed you, and you sat there, stunned and silent for five minutes.

“I was doing my job, why would they…”

“Because, Little Wolf,” she said with a soft smile. “You saved a great number of their guests from being sickened, and therefore practically saved the event from disaster, despite what happened…”

As she talked, she fastened the bracelet on, then the necklace, before indicating that you should put on the earrings. 

“Do I have to wear them to bed?”

“I wouldn’t think so,” she said, with a laugh. “But I do think you’ll need a larger jewelry box.”

“What?”

“Later on that,” she replied. “There are more gifts waiting for you at home, but I’ve brought a few with me.”

You thought that you might actually faint at the sight of the small packages, which were obviously jewelry boxes. 

“Who are these from?” You asked, nauseated. 

“Oh, probably some of Tony’s guests.”

“Really, I can’t accept...”

“Oh, let them spend some money, they have enough as it is,” she took your hand and patted it gently. “They enjoy themselves year after year, thanks to you, and they want you to know that.”

So, you slowly opened each gift, marveling that perfect strangers would spend so much money on someone they barely knew. There were rings: diamond, sapphire, and emerald ones, along with necklaces and bracelets with the same variety of stones; the metals ranged from gold, white gold, and platinum. 

By the time you were finished, there was a small fortune’s worth of jewelry on the counter. You hated to think about what was waiting on you at home. 

“How am I expected to wear all this?” You asked, helplessly. 

“One day at a time, Tala,” she replied. “Now you don’t have to go shopping.”

While you looked over the jewelry again, Natasha stepped away to use her phone. Tony had sent a reply to her, and she nodded slightly at the response. She surreptitiously took another photo of you with your new necklace on and sent it to him. Your bruises were on full display, since you wore a tank top. 

— — —

Tony frowned at the second pic that Natasha had just sent him; it was obvious that you weren’t eating enough. He and Nat agreed that you were depressed; he thought a change of scenery might help, along with being away from reminders of the party for a while. 

She agreed with that up to a point: she knew that you wanted to see Loki with your own eyes as you were still concerned that he’d be punished for what had happened at the party. Nothing she said made any difference to you. You wanted to see him. 

_ Go ahead and call the Doc, _Tony’s text read. 

— — —

That evening, after sunset, once she was sure that you had taken your medicine and were sound asleep, she sent a text. A few minutes later, a fiery circle appeared in the living room. A man stepped out of it, then Loki followed him, scowling slightly. The circle collapsed once both were clear of it.

“Natasha,” the man’s deep voice greeted her. 

“Stephen.”

“I don’t mind telling you that this was dreadfully inconvenient,” Stephen told her, while ignoring Loki’s snort of annoyance. 

“I’m sorry, but that was the only way to get him here, and me there, without blowing their cover.”

“Should I look at her now?”

“She’s sleeping. These are the medicines she’s taking, and they knock her out like a light.”

Stephen looked at the prescription bottles, nodding to himself. 

“Tony sent me the x-rays and her medical charts. Where is she?”

“This way. Loki, will you wait here?”

Loki gave a curt nod and remained where he was. He waited until both returned from the direction of your bedroom. 

“She seems to be healing well,” Stephen told them. “She should continue to speak softly until the hoarseness goes away. Try to get her to eat, though.”

Loki bit his lip to keep from making a snarky remark. Natasha cut her eyes at him, wanting him to behave; Loki then crossed his arms while waiting for the wannabe wizard to finish and _ leave_.

“Loki.” Natasha got his attention. “She will likely sleep until morning due to the medication, so you’re not to worry if she doesn’t stir until then. Alright?”

“Yes,” he replied. “Thank you, for everything.”

She smiled at him as Stephen opened another portal in order to let her take Loki’s place with the team. 

“Good riddance,” Loki muttered to himself after the portal had closed. 

He was surprised just slightly when another portal, a small one, opened enough for Stephen to scowl at him. 

“I heard that.”

_ “Good.” _

The portal closed, then opened once more. 

“Oh, and Natasha wanted me to tell you that the cat’s in the house.”

Loki whirled, extremely annoyed, and a dagger appeared in his hand. 

“Anything else?” He asked.

“Hmmm,” Stephen appeared to think it over. “Nope, that should be it.”

Loki let out a sharp hiss. Some people could just be so _ annoying _…

The portal opened again. “I forgot to tell you ‘happy new year.’”

Loki was quick, and threw the dagger just as it closed. 

“This is a beautiful dagger, Wong is keeping it.”

“There are more where that came from.” Loki was to the point where he was snarling. 

Stephen gave him a little smile before closing the portal one last time. 

— — —

“You probably shouldn’t have done that.” Tony wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. 

“Yes, well.” Stephen gave a little shrug while tilting his head slightly.

“Thanks for your help, though,” Tony told him, after clearing his throat. 

“Of course,” Stephen replied, nodding at each of them. “Good night.”

He stepped through the portal that would take him home, then the room was silent. 

“One of those sure would come in handy,” Bucky commented, quietly. 

“Sure would,” Steve agreed. 

They all looked at each other, before bursting into laughter. Thor was somewhat amused, but didn’t join in, nor did Natasha. 

“Alright, back to business,” Tony finally said. “Clint, will you bring Natasha up to speed?”

— — —

After Loki was sure that the wizard was gone, he silently went to your bedroom. You hadn’t been disturbed by the ruckus in the kitchen, for which he was grateful. 

He perched carefully on the side of the bed, then reached out to smooth a tendril of hair off your cheek. He couldn’t really see the bruises on your neck at the moment, but would inspect them next day. 

He then noticed the cat, which was stretched out next to you. It raised its head to blink sleepily at him before going back to sleep. 

Loki got up and changed into sleeping trousers. You hadn’t paid much attention to Natasha’s packing, and therefore didn’t notice when she packed some of Loki’s things. He then slid into bed, and moved closer so that he could pull you against him. 

You didn’t stir when he practically curled around you; it felt like you had enveloped yourself in a cocoon of warmth and he couldn’t get close enough. The cat didn’t move either, until Loki moved the covers a bit and disturbed it. It got up in order to make itself a little nest at your feet and Loki was then able to put his arm across you without touching the animal. 

— — —

The next morning, you reluctantly got up to face the day. A quick brush-through of your hair got most of the tangles out, then you pulled on some leggings before heading to the kitchen. 

You could hear someone moving around and you hoped that Natasha wasn’t making a big breakfast, which she knew you wouldn’t eat. Maybe the cat would get to eat it.

When you turned the corner to the kitchen, you came to a complete stop, staring wordlessly before rubbing your eyes. Loki smiled, waiting for a reaction, then caught you effortlessly when you _ launched _ yourself at him. 

Despite the discomfort of raising your arms, you hugged him tightly, slid your hands over his hair, then hugged him again. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, with a soft sob. 

“Whatever for?”

“I-I put you in that position, and I could have ruined everything, _ everything_, for you!”

“It’s not your fault, I can get into trouble all by myself, little one,” he told you. “Natasha’s said you’ve not been eating.”

He felt your shrug against his neck. 

“I haven’t been hungry, it hurts to swallow, and I’ve missed you.”

“Hmmm, I can't say that I recall anyone ever pining over me.”

“Not even a lowly mortal? That’s a shame.”

You could tell that he was smiling. “Well, to be truthful, in the past, I’ve never exactly been _ fond _ of mortals.”

“I know.”

“But some of them do tend to grow on you.”


End file.
